BIO205H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Exponential Growth, Doubling Time, Inflection Point
Document Summary
Growth rate: in a population, the number of new individuals produced in a given amount of time minus the number of individuals that die. Under ideal conditions, individuals can experience maximum reproductive rates and minimum death rates. Intrinsic growth rate (r): when a population achieves maximum per capita growth rate. In addition to facilitating high birth rates, abundant resources also lead to lower death rates. When conditions are less than ideal, the population"s growth rate > intrinsic growth rate. -> exponential growth model: a model of population growth in which the population increases continuously at an exponential rate. J-shaped curve (exponential growth) in ideal conditions - can use intrinsic growth rate (r) to estimate. N0 = current population size t = time over which the population grows. Constant r results in ever-increasing population which experiences exponential growth. -> geometric growth model: compares population sizes at regular time intervals. Most species of plants and animals have discrete breeding seasons.
