In a laboratory, a population of 60 fruit flies was observed over a period of one week. During this time, 12 individuals died. What is the death rate per fruit fly per week for this population?

Step-by-step solution

The per capita death rate is calculated as the number of deaths divided by the initial population size. Initial population ( N ) = 60 Number of deaths ( N ) = 12 Time ( t ) = 1 week Per capita death rate = N N t Per capita death rate = 12 60 1 = 0.2 individuals per fruit fly per week. Answer: 0.2