Irruptive growth is a growth pattern that happens over a timeframe, within a certain species population, that is defined by sudden population explosions and then sudden crashes or die-backs. This growth pattern often repeats over a long timeframe and does not stabilize when it reaches carrying capacity, as is more common with logistic growth where growth slows and stabilizes. Irruptive growth is also referred to as malthusian growth.
Irruptive growth typically happens when a certain species is reproducing more rapidly than its immediate environment or resources are capable of supporting it. Populations cannot grow forever and must reach a plateau at some point where logistic growth begins and growth halts. Growth must halt if resources cannot support numbers as they are, and a species will die off through lack of resources.
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