Question

Exponential growth occurs when there is

• A. a great environmental resistance
• B. no environmental resistance
• C. no biotic potential
• D. a fixed carrying capacity

Answer 1

The correct option is B

no environmental resistance

Exponential growth occurs when there is no environmental resistance, that is when the resources are unlimited. In the natural world resources are limiting and therefore population growth encounters environmental resistance and follows a logistic growth pattern. Biotic potential is the ability of a population to increase under ideal environmental conditions – sufficient food supply, no predators, and a lack of disease, that is when there is no environmental resistance. An organism's rate of reproduction and the size of each litter are the primary determining factors of its biotic potential. And carrying capacity represented by K, indicates the total number of individuals of a given population that the habitat can hold.