Final answer:
A bacteria culture grows exponentially, doubling in number every hour if resources are not limited, demonstrating a characteristic J-shaped growth curve. Starting with 1000 bacteria, the population can increase to over 16 billion in 24 hours. However, actual growth is often limited by available resources and accumulation of waste.
Step-by-step explanation:
A bacteria culture starts with a certain number of bacteria and grows at a rate proportional to its size. This is an example of exponential growth, where the growth rate—the number of organisms added in each reproductive generation—is increasing. If we start with 1000 bacteria, after one hour there would be 2000 bacteria. After two hours, the bacteria count would double again to 4000, and after three hours, there would be 8000 bacteria. This pattern continues with the bacteria count doubling every hour, illustrating the characteristic J-shaped growth curve.
When provided with unlimited resources in a laboratory setting, the bacterial population can increase vastly. For instance, over a 24-hour period, the population can grow from 1000 bacteria to more than 16 billion, assuming ideal conditions for growth without any mortality or limitation in resources.
In reality, however, such exponential growth cannot be sustained indefinitely due to constraints such as nutrient depletion and the accumulation of toxic waste products. Therefore, a bacterial culture must be periodically transferred to new media to maintain growth conditions. In practice, resources are usually limited, and some bacteria will die, which affects the growth rate. Despite these realities, the bacteria-in-a-flask example remains a potent demonstration of exponential population growth.