Journal Article

Exponential growth model of weevil populations: a didactic experiment for undergraduate course of Population Ecology

Sampaio, Roseane Souza, Oliveira, Guilherme de, Silva, Joseane Conceição da, Silva, Glaucio dos Santos, Conceição, Vanderléia dos Santos, Dias, Francielen da Silva, Oliveira, Joanna Karine Gomes de, Modesto, Vitor Castor, Braz, Claudiane de Lima, Freitas, Elton dos Santos, Bomfim, Maria Eduarda de Jesus, Jesus, Verônica Santos de, Sacramento, Stefane de Jesus, Dias, Nayara Oliveira, Pereira, Tainara da Silva, Santos, Ana Caroline de Souza, Dourado Junior, Roberto da Silva, Souza, Stheffy Hevhelling Vila Verde, Jesus, Paloma Regina Peixoto de, Rocha, Diana Souza Trindade

2024

Overview

Exponential model for population growth (exponential model) is a foundation to evaluate population dynamics in Population Ecology field. Here, we used a didactic experiment to teach exponential model for an undergraduate course of Population Ecology. We built nine populations of weevils with three different initial population sizes: eight, 16, and 32 individuals with three replicates each. We provided equal food resource availability, and counted their population sizes weekly for 12 weeks. We estimated the intrinsic growth rate (i.e., r parameter), by trials and errors with an exponential model build in an Excel spreadsheet. The population growth rate (i.e., dN/dt parameter) was estimated using r values. Replicates with eight and 16 individuals reached the highest values of r and dN/dt, while replicates with 32 individuals reached the lowest values. Beyond of exponential model, two density dependency issues acting in populations were observed. First, in the lowest initial population sizes we observed the effect of demographic stochasticity acting in both r and dN/dt in one of the three populations. Second, we observed the intraspecific competition reducing r values in largest initial populations. Therefore, we highlight the importance of didactic experiment into learning exponential model in Population Ecology course, both for teaching and learning practices.    

• Publisher: Editora da Universidade Estadual de Maringá - EDUEM,Universidade Estadual de Maringá
• Subject: Didacticism / Food availability / Growth models / Growth rate / Population dynamics / Population ecology / Population growth / problem-based learning; intrinsic growth rate; density dependency; demographic stochasticity; intraspecific competition / Resource availability / Stochasticity