Ecology

Module 3 Assignment 3

Life table activity

a. First, open up the MS Excel spreadsheet listed separately in the course contents folder). Working in MS Excel, build a life table for this aphid population (aphids reproduce parthenogenetically – i.e. we do not need to worry about sex ratios in this case!). Estimate lx, dx, qx, Lx, Tx, ex. Use Chapter 9 in your textbooks to help you if you have the book, or use my module notes otherwise. Email me if you do not have the textbook, as I’d like to know how many of you are trying to do the course without the book. Write in the table what each of the terms lx, dx, qx, Lx, Tx, ex actually mean. This may take some time, and use the online help that MS Excel offers.

b. Using MS Excel chart functions, draw the mortality curve and the survivorship curves for this species. Please make sure to save these curves as two separate sheets in your file.

c. Finally, using the data for lx and bx above, produce a table similar to table 9.4 (in 8th Edition) in your textbooks. Determine the net reproductive rate, Ro.

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