What will likely occur when natural resources are depleted?

When natural resources are depleted, the carrying capacity of an ecosystem decreases, which refers to the maximum number of individuals that an environment can sustainably support. This reduction occurs because essential resources such as food, water, and shelter become scarce as they are diminished. Consequently, the population that relies on those resources will also decrease due to starvation, competition, and other ecological pressures.

The link between resource depletion and population decline is well-documented in ecological studies, indicating that as resources vanish, populations either migrate to find new resources or experience a natural decrease due to increased mortality and decreased birth rates. This dynamic is fundamental to understanding ecological balance and sustainability.

In contrast to the other responses, the depletion of natural resources does not lead to improvements in quality of life, significant population increases, or restoration of resources. Instead, it fundamentally challenges the survival of species reliant on those resources, highlighting the importance of conserving natural ecosystems.