A pond has an initial population of 30 lotus plants. If the per capita birth rate is 0.5 offspring per lotus per year, what will be the total number of lotus plants in the pond after one year, assuming no mortality?

Step-by-step solution

The number of new individuals added to the population is the product of the per capita birth rate and the initial population size. Initial population ( N ) = 30 Per capita birth rate ( b ) = 0.5 offspring per lotus per year Number of new lotus plants = b N Number of new lotus plants = 0.5 30 = 15 Total population after one year = Initial population + New births Total population = 30 + 15 = 45 . Answer: 45