Question

Two Species of flour beetles, Tribolium castaneum and Tribolium confuum, are competing according to the Lotka-Volterra equations. If the alpha of T. confuum on T. castaneum is 0.4, one can assume that the addition to 200 T. confuumi individuals would depress the population growth of T. castaneum by the same amount as the addition of ____ T. castaneum individuals would.

1) 0
2) 40
3) 80
4) 200

Answer 1

Option 3.

The addition of 200 T. confuum individuals would depress the population growth of T. castaneum by the same amount as the addition of 80 T. castaneum individuals.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the Lotka-Volterra equations, the effect of adding 200 T. confuum individuals to the population is equivalent to the effect of adding a certain number of T. castaneum individuals.

The question asks us to determine that number.

The alpha value represents the effect of T. confuum on T. castaneum. If the alpha is 0.4, it means that for every 1 T. confuum individual added, the population growth rate of T. castaneum is reduced by 0.4.

Therefore, adding 200 T. confuum individuals would depress the population growth rate of T. castaneum by 200 x 0.4 = 80.

So, the addition of 80 T. castaneum individuals would have the same effect on the population growth rate of T. castaneum as adding 200 T. confuum individuals.