In a laboratory experiment, a culture of Paramecium initially contained 200 individuals. Over the course of one week, 40 new individuals were born and 10 individuals died. What is the intrinsic rate of natural increase ( r ) per capita per week for this population?

Step-by-step solution

The intrinsic rate of natural increase ( r ) is the difference between the per capita birth rate ( b ) and the per capita death rate ( d ). Initial population ( N ) = 200 Number of births = 40 Number of deaths = 10 Per capita birth rate ( b ) = 40 200 = 0.20 Per capita death rate ( d ) = 10 200 = 0.05 Intrinsic rate of natural increase ( r ) = b - d = 0.20 - 0.05 = 0.15 Alternatively, the net increase in population is 40 - 10 = 30 . The per capita net increase is 30 200 = 0.15 . Option 2 is incorrect as it represen