A population of ground squirrels has an annual per capita birth rate of 0.06 and an annual per capita death rate of 0.02. Using these birth and death rates, calculate an estimate of the total number of individuals added to (or lost from) a population of 1,000 individuals in one year.
A) 120 individuals added
B) 40 individuals added
C) 20 individuals added
D) 400 individuals added

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To estimate the total number of individuals added to (or lost from) the population in one year, we need to calculate the difference between the per capita birth rate and per capita death rate and then multiply it by the initial population size.

The difference between the birth rate (0.06) and the death rate (0.02) is:

0.06 - 0.02 = 0.04

We can then estimate the number of individuals added to the population as:

0.04 x 1,000 = 40 individuals added

Therefore, the best choice is B - 40 individuals added.

A Population of Ground Squirrels Has an Annual Per Capita