overpopulation

/oʊvərpɑpjuˈleɪʃɪn/

/əʊvəpɒpjuˈleɪʃɪn/

Other forms: overpopulations

Overpopulation is what happens when there are too many members of a species. An overpopulation of deer can lead to more of them being hit by cars and more gardens being nibbled.

When the population of any group is too large for its environment to support, that's overpopulation. That can mean so many people inhabiting a region that there's not enough food for everyone, or an overabundance of rabbits in an area with no natural predators. An overpopulation of pets in the U.S. means that unwanted cats and dogs have to be euthanized every year; there are just too many of them for the number of available adopters.

Definitions of overpopulation

1. noun

   too many individuals of a given species
   type of:

   population

   a group of organisms of the same species inhabiting a given area