Question

these pictures show the petri dish of bacteria at three points in time.
hour 14.5 hour 15 hour 17
which of the following are the most likely reasons that the population of bacteria stopped growing? select two.
the population consumed all the available food.
the population decided it was large enough and chose to stop reproducing.
the population did not have more space to grow.
bacteria emigrated from the population at the same rate that new bacteria were produced by reproduction.

Explanation:

1. For "The population consumed all the available food": In a closed system like a Petri dish, limited food resources mean when food is exhausted, bacteria can't grow further. This is a common limiting factor in population growth (logistic growth model, where carrying capacity is reached due to resource depletion).
2. For "The population did not have more space to grow": Bacteria need space to grow and reproduce. In a Petri dish, as the colony expands, space becomes limited. When the available space is saturated, growth stops.
3. "The population decided...": Bacteria are unicellular organisms without decision - making capabilities, so this is incorrect.
4. "Bacteria emigrated...": In a Petri dish (a closed environment), emigration at the same rate as reproduction is not a typical reason for growth to stop as the system is confined, and the main limits are resources and space, not emigration - reproduction balance.

Answer:

The population consumed all the available food.
The population did not have more space to grow.