Final answer:
The iguana population reached its carrying capacity and the growth rate decreased to zero, indicative of logistic growth that occurs after an initial phase of exponential growth and a slowdown due to limited resources and increased competition.
Step-by-step explanation:
Complete the sentence about the changes that occurred in the growth of the iguana population over time. Females that were poorer competitors produced lower-quality eggs, many of which never hatched. The population reached its carrying capacity, and the growth rate decreased to zero.
Initially, populations such as iguanas experience exponential growth when resources are abundant and competition is low. As the population increases, resource availability decreases and intraspecific competition increases, leading to the growth rate slowing down. This pattern of growth is known as logistic growth, which is depicted by an S-shaped curve, and reflects how a population approaches its carrying capacity over time.
The population grew exponentially in the first few years and later became logistic as the rate slowed down. The population eventually became stable after reaching its carrying capacity.
The population grew exponentially in the first few years and later became logistic as the rate slowed down. The population eventually became stable after reaching a number of 116 individuals, which could be the carrying capacity of the environment.