Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet (9th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1118427327
ISBN 13: 978-1-11842-732-3

Chapter 4 - The Big Picture: Systems of Change - Study Questions - Page 79: 2

Answer

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Work Step by Step

The main point concerning exponential growth is that it represents a particular type of positive feedback where the change increases or decreases at a constant rate per time period, rather than by a constant amount. Exponential growth can be observed when a quantity grows or declines increasingly over time. It can be both good or bad, depending on the context. An example of when exponential growth is bad is the concept of overshoot and collapse, where a population may grow exponentially and eventually surpass the carrying capacity of its environment. This can lead to the collapse of the population and a potential reduction in the carrying capacity. Similar scenarios can be applied to the harvesting of fish or trees.
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