Slide 5 of 37
Notes:
Types of growth curves which typically occur in nature.
Linear growth (like simple interest) means the rate of increase is constant in time.
Exponential growth (like compound interest) means the rate of increase is proportional to what is there, i.e. the absolute rate accelerates with time. This is typical of biological populations with ample resources and no constraints, there are limited only by the rate of reproduction of each individual.
Sigmoid growth is typical of a population which initially is small enough to have plenty of resources, but as it grows starts to feel a limiting constraint. The population levels off with time, at what is often called the “carrying capacity”.
Overshoot is when built in inertia carries the population past the carrying capacity, after which it tends to crash. This is typical when constraints are not perceived in time or are ignored.