Which phase follows the log phase as resources become limited and growth slows?

• A. Lag phase
• B. Death phase
• C. Log phase
• D. Stationary phase

Answer: (D)

The phase in which growth levels off as resources become scarce and the net number of cells stops increasing is the stationary phase. After the rapid exponential (log) growth when nutrients are abundant, resources run low and waste builds up, so the rate of new cell production balances the rate of cell death. In this stationary phase, cells remain metabolically active but there is little or no net population growth as they adapt to stressful conditions. This phase comes after the log phase and before the death phase; the lag phase is the initial period of adaptation with little division, and the log phase is the previous rapid growth stage.