If a population grows quickly and then levels off as resources become scarce, this growth is described as?

• A. Exponential growth
• B. Plateau
• C. Logistic growth
• D. Carrying capacity

Answer: (C)

Logistic growth describes a population that grows rapidly when resources are abundant and then slows as density increases and resources become limiting, eventually leveling off near the carrying capacity of the environment. This pattern reflects density-dependent regulation: as population size grows, birth rates drop or death rates rise due to competition for food, space, and other factors, so growth slows to zero at the carrying capacity. Exponential growth would not level off because it assumes unlimited resources, while the term plateau refers to the leveling off itself rather than the whole growth pattern, and carrying capacity is the maximum sustainable population size rather than the growth curve.