Question

Study the population growth curves in the graph given below and answer the questions that follow:

(i) Identify the growth curves ‘a’ and ‘b’. 

(ii) Which one of them is considered a more realistic one and why?

(iii) if \(\cfrac {dN}{dt}\) = rN \(\left\{\cfrac{K-N}{K}\right\}\) s the equation of the logistic growth curve, what does K stand for?

(iv) What is symbolised by N?

Answer 1

i. a is exponential growth curve or J-shaped curve. b is logistic growth curve or S-shaped curve. 

ii. Logistic growth curve (b) is considered more realistic because unlimited resources are never available in an ecosystem or in a habitat. 

iii. K stands for carrying capacity. 

iv. N indicates population density, which is the number of species of a population per unit area.