Question

Menge and colleagues performed experiments in which they exposed some populations of mussels to sea stars and excluded sea stars from other mussel populations. Suppose that the sea star population consists of 20 individuals and the two populations of mussels are of the same size prior to the mussel treatment. In the treatment condition there are 500 individuals without sea stars and 100 individuals with sea stars. What is the per capita interaction strength of sea stars on mussels?

A. ln (0.2/20)
B. ln (0.5/20)
C. ln (100/20)
D. ln (500/100)

Answer 1

The per capita interaction strength of sea stars on mussels can be calculated by dividing the number of mussels with sea stars by the total number of sea stars. The correct answer is D. ln(500/100).

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the per capita interaction strength of sea stars on mussels, we need to compare the number of sea stars with and without mussels. In this case, the sea star population consists of 20 individuals and there are 500 mussels without sea stars and 100 mussels with sea stars.

The per capita interaction strength can be calculated by dividing the number of mussels with sea stars (100) by the total number of sea stars (20). So, the per capita interaction strength is 100/20 = 5.

Therefore, the correct option is D. ln(500/100).