Suppose two populations of Anolis lizards are of equal size at the beginning of an experiment. One population (the experimental group) is exposed to a predator (16 predatory lizards), and the other (the control) is not. The final size of the experimental population is 50, and the final size of the control population is 200. What is the per capita interaction strength of predatory lizards on Anolis lizards?
A) ln (4/16)
B) ln (4/50)
C) ln (16/4)
D) ln (16/50)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The per capita interaction strength is calculated as the natural log of the ratio of the final population sizes of the control and experimental groups divided by the number of predators: ln(200/50) / 16 = ln(4/16).

Suppose Two Populations of Anolis Lizards Are of Equal Size