Which pattern does the line in a population growth graph that levels off represent?

• A. Exponential growth
• B. Logistic growth
• C. Linear growth
• D. Cyclical growth

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is how population growth responds to resource limits and carrying capacity. When a population reaches the environment’s carrying capacity, growth slows and eventually levels off because resources become scarcer and density-dependent factors raise mortality or lower birth rates. This creates a sigmoid (S-shaped) curve, which is the hallmark of logistic growth. The other patterns don’t level off in this way: exponential growth keeps accelerating without bound, linear growth rises at a constant rate, and cyclical growth goes up and down in repeating cycles rather than settling to a stable level.