Question

Which of the following equations correctly represents Verhulst-Pearl logistic growth ?

• A. $dN/dt = rN \left(\frac{K-N}{K}\right)$
• B. $dN/dt =\frac{rN}{K}$
• C. $dN/dt =\frac{N\left(K-N\right)}{K}$
• D. $dN/ dt =\frac{r\left(K-N\right)}{K}$

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

$S$-shaped growth curve is also called Verhulst-Pearl logistic curve and is represented by the following equation :
$\frac{dN}{dt}=rN\left(\frac{K-N}{K}\right)=rN\left(1-\frac{N}{K}\right)$
where $\frac{dN}{dt}=$ rate of change in population size, $r =$ intrinsic rate of natural increase, $N =$ population density, $K =$ carrying capacity and $\left(\frac{K-N}{K}\right)=$ environmental resistance.