Figure 1.25: Exponential population growth: The J curve. The curve’s J shape is a result of successive doublings of the population. It starts out nearly flat, but as doubling time shortens, the curve bends ever more sharply upward. Note that B.C.E. (before the common era) is equivalent to B.C. (before Christ); C.E. (common era) is equivalent to A.D. (anno Domini).
[Source consulted: G. Tyler Miller, Jr., Living in the Environment, 8th ed. (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1994), p. 4]