Question

the population of bacteria grew exponentially, roughly doubling every 30 minutes, for around 15 hours. but after that, growth slowed and then stopped.

bacterial population

these pictures show the petri dish of bacteria at three points in time.
hour 14.5
hour 15
hour 17

which of the following are the most likely reasons that the population of bacteria stopped growing? select two.
individuals couldnt find mates to reproduce.
the population reached an optimal size and decided to stop growing.
the population used up its supply of food.
the population ran out of space.

Explanation:

Bacteria reproduce asexually, so finding mates is not a factor. They do not "decide" to stop growing. When bacterial populations stop growing in a Petri dish, it is typically due to depletion of critical resources like food, or lack of physical space to expand as the Petri dish has a fixed area.

Answer:

• The population used up its supply of food.
• The population ran out of space.