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Explain the logistic growth patterns of a population. Why do population growth patterns of all organisms ultimately follow it?

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

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No population of any species in nature has its disposal unlimited resources to permit exponential growth. This leads to competition between individuals for limited resources. Eventually, the ‘fittest’ individual will survive and reproduce. In nature, a given habitat has enough resources to support a maximum possible number, beyond which no further growth is possible. This limit is known as nature’s carrying capacity (K) for that species in that habitat. A population growing in a habitat with limited resources show initially a lag phase, followed by phases of acceleration and deceleration and finally an asymptote, when the population density reaches the carrying capacity. A plot of N in relation to time (t) results in a sigmoid curve. This type of population growth is called Verhulst-Pearl Logistic Growth and is described by the following equation:

N = Population density at time t

r = Intrinsic rate of natural increase

K = Carrying capacity Since resources for growth for most animal populations are finite and become limiting sooner or later, the logistic growth model is considered a more realistic one. 

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Priyanka Kumari

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