Question

what kind of population growth does this graph show?
declining growth
unpredictable growth
logistic (s - curve)
zero curve

Explanation:

The graph shows population growth that initially increases rapidly (exponential - like phase) and then slows down as it approaches a carrying capacity (leveling - off phase). This is characteristic of logistic (S - curve) growth. In logistic growth, population size ($N$) is modeled by the equation $N=\frac{K}{1 + e^{-r(t - t_0)}}$ where $K$ is the carrying capacity, $r$ is the growth rate, $t$ is time, and $t_0$ is a time - shift parameter. The S - shape comes from the combination of the initial exponential growth (when resources are abundant) and the later growth limitation (due to resource scarcity, competition etc.). Declining growth would show a negative slope in population size over time. Unpredictable growth would have a more erratic pattern without the characteristic S - shape. A zero curve would imply no change in population size over time.

Answer:

C. logistic (S - curve)