Question

Human population growth curve is
A. S-shaped curve
B. Parabola curve
C. J shaped curve
D. Zig zag curve

Answer 1

Hint: Population growth refers to the change in the number of individuals in the population with a time. Population represents a group of communities that occupy space at a particular time.

Complete Answer:
The population growth curve represents the growth of the population over a span of time. This is an exponential growth curve. Growth curves can be linear, exponential, or cubic depending on the fragments of the population given.
- Human population growth curve does not show a steady response or curve as the population growth may increase or decrease over a time. It can never be constant.
- Due to increase or decrease in the population, the human population growth curve is the sigmoidal curve or S-shaped curve. In this curve, the density of population increases very slowly at the initial stage in a positive acceleration over a particular time.
- Then, this suddenly increases rapidly when approaching exponential as a J-shaped curve. After some time, it decreases in the negative acceleration until it comes to zero. This is the condition where the population growth rate stabilises.
- The S-shaped curve is a logistic curve because when competition increases then resources become scarce and carrying capacity is reached in an environment that causes growth rate to decrease to zero.

Thus, the correct answer is option A and C. i.e., S- shaped curve and J-shaped.

Note: There are various factors on which growth of the population depends which includes weather, food availability, competition, etc. S- shaped curve represents a logistic growth which is limited by the definite carrying capacity.