J-shaped growth curve

Definition

A J-shaped growth curve represents exponential population growth. It depicts a situation where the population size increases rapidly over time without any constraints from environmental limits until a sudden collapse or plateau occurs.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The J-shaped curve is characterized by a rapid and unchecked increase in population size.
2. In real-world scenarios, this type of growth often leads to overshooting the carrying capacity of the environment, followed by a sharp decline in population.
3. The initial part of the J-shaped curve shows slow growth, which accelerates as the population grows.
4. This type of growth is unsustainable in natural environments due to limiting factors such as food, space, and other resources.
5. An example of organisms that can exhibit J-shaped growth under optimal conditions includes bacteria and some invasive species.

Review Questions

Related terms

Carrying Capacity:

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely given available resources.

Logistic Growth: A more realistic model of population growth where expansion decreases as resources become scarce, forming an S-shaped curve.

Exponential Growth:

A pattern of data that shows greater increases with passing time, creating a curve that becomes steeper over time.