bacteria

A - lag phase - bacteria are adapting to environment - no increase in bacterial numbers

B - Log phase - bacteria have ideal conditions and are reproducing at their maximal rate

C - stationary - conditions becoming limiting - such as food/space and bacterial reproduction = bacterial death

D - decline/death - continued lack of food and space and build up of toxins causes the death rate to increase above the reproduction rate and the numbers fall

logarithmic - easier to see on a graph