1) Biologists stocked a lake with 400 fish and estimated the carrying capacity (the maximal population for the fish of that species in that lake) to be 9300. The number of fish tripled in the first year.
(a) Assuming that the size of the fish population satisfies the logistic equation dP/dt = kP(1-P/K), determine the constant k, and then solve the equation to find an expression for the size of the population after t years.
k= ......................?..........................
P(t)=...................?..........................
(b) How long will it take for the population to increase to 4650 (half of the carrying capacity)?
It will take ..................?.................. years.
2) Another model for a growth function for a limited population is given by the Gompertz function, which is a solution of the differential equation
dP/dt=cln(K/P)P
where c is a constant and K is the carrying capacity.
(a) Solve this differential equation for c=0.15, K=5000, and initial population P(0)=200.
P(t)=.....................?.......................
(b) Compute the limiting value of the size of the population.
limt→∞P(t)= .....................?...........................
(c) At what value of P does P grow fastest?
P=......................?...................