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How does a logistic growth curve differ from an exponential growth curve?

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Common wildebeest — population ecology A herd of common wildebeest (*Connochaetes taurinus*) migrating across a dusty savanna in Africa. The animal is a keystone species (i.e., a species with a disproportionately large effect on its biological community) in plains and acacia savanna ecosystems from southeastern Africa to central Kenya.

In population ecology, the primary difference between exponential and logistic growth lies in the presence of environmental constraints.

Exponential Growth

Exponential growth occurs in an ideal environment where resources are unlimited and no limiting factors exist. The resulting growth curve is smooth and becomes increasingly steep over time, reflecting a population that continues to expand without restriction.1

Logistic Growth

In contrast, logistic growth accounts for real-world limitations, such as food availability, competition, predation, and disease. As a population grows, these factors eventually curtail expansion. The growth rate slows as the population approaches the carrying capacity (K) of the environment, where the number of individuals stabilizes.23

This process is represented by the logistic curve, an S-shaped (sigmoid) graph. Unlike the continuously rising exponential curve, the logistic curve inflects and levels off once the population reaches its maximum sustainable size, or saturation value.4