Here's a sneak preview – don't worry if you don't understand all of it yet: We'll explore exponential growth and logistic growth in more detail below.

Logistic growth occurs when a population grows exponentially at first, but then slows. As the population’s growth slows, its size begins to level off. Logistic growth usually occurs as …

Exponential growth presumes infinite resources, resulting in unrestrained population expansion. Conversely, logistic growth considers resource limitations and a carrying capacity (K) - the …

Real population growth often deviates from the ideal logistic model. The ideal logistic growth curve shows population size leveling off as a flat line just below carrying capacity.

However, it's important to realize that r - and K -selected species can both show periods of exponential or logistic growth in their populations. The specific growth patterns shown will …

In the logistic growth model, the population experiences a leveling off of exponential growth due to limiting resources. In turn, the shape of the graph, which was formerly a J-shaped curve, now …

Exponential growth has time in the exponent, causing a rapid increase in population size. In real-world situations, logistic growth is more accurate due to environmental constraints. Logistic …

And so let me just draw a little graph here to show the typical solution to a logistic differential equation.

Check your understanding of population dispersion and growth models in this set of free, standards-aligned practice questions.

A population of harbor seals in Washington state (left) follows logistic growth (right). Growth slows as the population nears carrying capacity (indicated by the red dashed horizontal line). The …