How to Contrast the Exponential & Logistic Growth of a Population
Human populations throughout the world are increasing exponentially: the larger the population is, the faster it will grow. Resources such as space, food and water, on the other hand, increase arithmetically at best. Therefore, exponential growth is far from ideal for our world, and you can contrast it with logistic growth, in which population growth slows down as the population increases and approaches an asymptotic maximum to avoid exhausting resources.
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Instructions
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Present a graph that illustrates both exponential and logistic growth. Exponential growth curves, graphing time against the magnitude of the population, reflect that the greater the original magnitude of a population, the faster it will grow. In other words, the population will continue to grow over time. Logistic growth, on the other hand, has a period of growth over time that turns into a flat period, in which the population is steady.
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Explain the reality of population growth. It is naturally exponential when resources are plentiful, and today's human population is growing exponentially. However, logistic growth would be ideal; it would help to protect us from exhausting our natural resources.
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Explain the differences between what is needed to obtain exponential vs. logistic growth. To obtain exponential growth, we must have unlimited resources and a capacity to reproduce quickly, either by quickly producing young or by having a large population that can, as a whole, quickly multiply. To obtain logistic growth, we must undertake a limitation on reproduction, either through birth control or by limits on the numbers of children people can have.
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