Models of Population GrowthCatastrophic change in logistic

Chapter 9, Problem 13E

(choose chapter or problem)

Problem 13E

Models of Population Growth

Catastrophic change in logistic growth Suppose that a healthy population of some species is growing in a limited environment and that the current population P0 is fairly close to the carrying capacity M0. You might imagine a population of fish living in a freshwater lake in a wilderness area. Suddenly a catastrophe such as the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption contaminates the lake and destroys a significant part of the food and oxygen on which the fish depend. The result is a new environment with a carrying capacity M1 considerably less than M0 and, in fact, less than the current population P0 . Starting at some time before the catastrophe, sketch a “before-and-after” curve that shows how the fish population responds to the change in environment.