Consider a stable frog population living at carrying capacity in a pond. If an average female produces 6,000 eggs during her lifetime and an average of 300 tadpoles hatch from these eggs, how many of these tadpoles will, on average, survive to reproduce?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the frog population is stable and living at carrying capacity, it means that on average, each pair of frogs must replace themselves with two offspring that survive to adulthood and reproduce. Given that an average female produces 6,000 eggs, and 300 tadpoles hatch, the vast majority do not survive to adulthood. Only about 2 of these tadpoles need to survive and reproduce to maintain the population size, assuming each has a mate.

Consider a Stable Frog Population Living at Carrying Capacity in a Pond