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Which of the following combinations of r and K create conditions for a population that will never experience intraspecific competition?

1) K=500, r=0.2
2) K=200, r=0.1
3) Both combinations lead to populations free of intraspecific competition
4) Neither combination leads to a population free of intraspecific competition

User Brigadir
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Neither combination of r and K values provided will create conditions for a population to never experience intraspecific competition, as a positive r value indicates ongoing population growth that will lead to reaching the carrying capacity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question relates to the concepts of population growth and the carrying capacity of an environment. The r value represents the rate of population growth, while K denotes the carrying capacity of the environment; that is, the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely. Intraspecific competition, which is competition within a species for resources, is likely to occur when a population reaches or exceeds the carrying capacity.

In both provided combinations, there is a positive r value, which means the population is growing. If the population grows continuously, it will eventually reach the carrying capacity where intraspecific competition will occur. Therefore, neither of the combinations (K=500, r=0.2 or K=200, r=0.1) is likely to create conditions for a population that will never experience intraspecific competition.

User Zeke
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