Q.64 A population of Paramecium caudatum was grown in a culture medium. After 5 days the culture medium became overcrowded with Paramecium and had depleted nutrients. What will happen to the population and what type of growth curve will the population attain? Draw the growth curve.
Ans. Initially, after a lag phase, the population will grow in an exponential manner as the nutrients and space ill be abundant.
When the food sources get depleted, the population density starts decreasing and ends in an asymptote phase, then the population density reaches the carrying capacity (maximum number of individuals of a population or species that a given environment can sustain indefinitely).
The population shows a pattern of logistic growth giving an S-shaped curve
Where K = carrying capacity
N = population density at time 't'
r = Intrinsic rate of natural increase
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