If a population grows larger than the carrying capacity of the environment, which of these is most likely to happen?

A. The death rate may rise.

B. The birthrate may rise.

C. The death rate must fall.

D. The birthrate must fall.

The answer is A. The death rate may rise. Carrying capacity is the total number of organisms that an environment can support. So, if a population grows larger than the carrying capacity of the environment, there will be more organisms than the environment can support. The environment cannot sustain this number, so organisms will die until the population is under the carrying capacity. So, the death rate may rise to reduce the population size.