Skip to content
Login Register

#maximum growth rate

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

Population Growth

If r = 0.15 and K = 400, what is maximum growth rate (dN/dt)?

For logistic growth, maximum dN/dt equals rK/4 and occurs at N = K/2. With r = 0.15 and K = 400, the calculation is 0.15 �� 400 �� 4 = 15 individuals per time unit. The keyed value 30 is therefore inconsistent with the standard logistic equation; 30 would not result from the supplied parameters. Graphically, logistic abundance through time is sigmoid, whereas its instantaneous increment plotted against abundance is a downward-opening parabola. Confusing these two plots leads to incorrect curve descriptions. The time trajectory approaches K, while the production curve peaks at K/2 and i

Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 11

View Details
Population Growth

Maximum growth rate in logistic growth occurs at:

For the logistic equation dN/dt = rN(1 - N/K), total population increase is maximal at N = K/2. At that density, there are enough reproducing individuals to generate many offspring while half of the model s density-dependent growth potential remains. Below K/2, too few individuals limit total production; above it, crowding increasingly suppresses per-capita growth. Distinguishing per-capita growth from total growth prevents a common error. In the logistic model, per-capita growth r(1 - N/K) declines linearly with density, but total growth rN(1 - N/K) forms a dome because the number of potentia

Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 11

View Details