Science
Population growth.
Definition
Population growth describes the change in the number of individuals in a population over time. Exponential growth occurs when resources are unlimited, while logistic growth slows as the population approaches the carrying capacity of its environment.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 Bacteria doubling every 20 minutes in a nutrient-rich petri dish (exponential)
- 2 Human population growing from 1 billion in 1800 to 8 billion today
- 3 Rabbit populations leveling off when food becomes scarce (logistic)
Key Fact
Exponential: dN/dt = rN; Logistic: dN/dt = rN((K−N)/K), where K = carrying capacity