In a pond, there were 20 lotus plants last year. Through reproduction, 8 new plants are added in one year, taking the current population to 28 . The birth rate of the population is ____ offspring per lotus per year.

Step-by-step solution

In a population, birth rates refer to per capita births. It is calculated by dividing the number of new individuals added by the initial population size. Initial population of lotus plants = 20 Number of new plants added (births) = 8 Per capita birth rate = 8 20 = 0.4 offspring per lotus per year. Calculating 20 8 gives 2.5 , which is an inverted ratio. Calculating 8 28 gives approximately 0.28 , which incorrectly uses the final population size instead of the initial size. Answer: 0.4