BIO120H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Net Reproduction Rate, Exponential Growth, Infinitesimal
shdhhfhshhpla3806 and 40102 others unlocked
36
BIO120H1 Full Course Notes
Verified Note
36 documents
Document Summary
Bio120: population ecology models without age structure. Population ecology developed by zoologists (often more ambiguity about plant individuals) Aspen: clones, one seed produces many identical, connected stems (vegetative spread) Larkspur: many unique seeds produce many unique plants. Dandelion: no sex, many identical seeds produce many identical, unconnected plants (one genetic individual spread across many physiological individuals) Logistic growth model (as population gets bigger, growth rate slows: extensions for greater realism: Predict the trajectory of population growth through time (n as a function of t) How many individuals are in population now (nt) How many individuals are in population one step later (nt+1) Challenge: choosing simple but realistic parameters for f. When using differential equations, time steps are infinitesimally small. Use concept of limits and calculus: growth is smooth, best suited for species with continuous reproduction. When using difference equations, time steps are discrete units (e. g. days, years)