alleryStart learning →Plotting population size N over time under unlimited resources produces which curve shape?
AA J-shaped curve
BAn S-shaped curve
CA flat straight line
DA falling straight line
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. A J-shaped curve
1. The shape of the growth curve reveals what limits it.
2. When the population size, N, is plotted over time, a J-shaped growth curve is produced.
3. That J shape is the signature of exponential growth.
4. An S-shaped curve appears instead when growth is limited.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 45 'Population and Community Ecology', sections 45.1-45.4_
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