A total is how many times how much each
- The idea
- Predict
- See it
- Why
- Check
The idea
“The group where each one does the most, or the biggest group, must make the most.”
A high rate per deer sounds like fast growth. So does a big herd. The gain depends on both.
The short version
The mistake: The group where each one does the most, or the biggest group, must make the most.
What's actually true: A total is how many units there are times what each one makes.
- With no migration, the deer added per year equal herd size times the per capita growth rate, births minus deaths per deer.
- In logistic growth, competition for food and space lowers that rate steadily as the herd grows toward its carrying capacity, K, the most the habitat can sustain.
- A tiny herd has a high rate per deer but few deer breeding. A herd near K has many deer that each add almost nothing. The product peaks at K/2.
- O2 from a leaf and seeds from a field work the same way.
On the exam: Multiply how many by how much each, then compare.