Table of Contents

• The mystery
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The mystery
• 3. Exponential growth
• 4. Population dynamics
• 5. Exponential growth equation
• 6. You write the equation
• 7. Applet: Exp. growth
• 8. Summary of exp. growth
• 9. Assumptions about exp. growth
• 10. Applet: Once more with mortality
• 11. ...and an equation
• The plot thickens
• 12. Examining assumptions
• 13. Assumptions get violated
• 14. Carrying capacity...
• 15....mathematically expressed
• 16. Logistic growth
• 17. Applet: ... among elephants
• 18. Applet: ... among mice
• 19. Applet: ... among moths
• 20. Detour: chaotic dynamics
• 21. Applet: Seasonal changes
• 22. Applet: Disturbance = Death
• The case is cracked
• 23. You be the detective
• 24. Just the facts ma'am

Population Dynamics

How the size of a population changes over time is called population dynamics. Exponential growth is one explanation for population dynamics, but there are others we'll talk about as well. Your job is to be a detective, and determine the most likely process or processes controlling the housefly population. Your tools will be a set of applets in this module that will allow you to investigate the patterns produced by different growth processes. Good luck!

 

It was same old story. Female fly meets male fly, he sweeps her off her feet and soon there's the buzzy buzzy of little wings. But that wasn't the end of our tawdry little tale, because their kids had kids, and so did their kids and the kids after that too. And now, they were missing. I decided to ask for half up front.