What is half the carrying capacity referred to as?

The term that refers to half the carrying capacity is known as the "maximum sustainable yield." This concept is crucial in the context of environmental management and ecology, as it represents the largest yield (or catch) that can be taken from a specific natural resource over an indefinite period under constant environmental conditions.

At this level of exploitation, populations are kept at a size that is sustainable, meaning that the resource can regenerate and continue to be utilized over time. The idea of sustainable yield focuses on balancing extraction with conservation to ensure the long-term viability of ecosystems.

While "optimal sustainable yield" might suggest a balance between ecological health and resource use, it does not specifically denote half of the carrying capacity. Moreover, terms like "limiting capacity" are not commonly used in ecological literature, while "sustainable yield" broadly refers to the concept of extracting resources without depleting them, without specifying a quantitative measure like half the carrying capacity.

Therefore, understanding that the maximum sustainable yield is intrinsically linked to half the carrying capacity explains why this answer is considered accurate in the context of ecologically sustainable practices.