The correct answer is: B. biotic potential.
Biotic potential is the maximum rate of population growth under ideal conditions. It is the theoretical maximum number of offspring that a population can produce in a given time period. Biotic potential is often expressed as the number of offspring per individual per unit time.
Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an environment can support indefinitely. It is the maximum number of individuals of a species that can live in an area without causing environmental degradation.
Birth rate is the number of births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year.
Fertility rate is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates through her lifetime.
Biotic potential is higher than the carrying capacity of most environments. This means that populations will always tend to grow beyond the carrying capacity of their environment. However, environmental factors such as competition, predation, and disease can limit population growth and prevent populations from reaching their biotic potential.