A Computer Program for Calculation and Statistical Comparison of Intrinsic Rates of Increase and Associated Life Table Parameters

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Abstract
An often crucial component in the study of insects is the determination of reproductive capabilities. While it is important to study reproduction at the level of the individual, it is often desirable to develop a standardized estimate of the growth rate of insect populations. One such estimator, the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), has been used for many years by insect ecologists. This statistic is useful not only as a measure of population growth potential but also a bioclimatic index and a natural enemy rating parameter. Recently introduced methods to calculate variances for rm values have increased the utility of the statistic, enabling comparisons of growth rates from different species or biotypes. Although these values are usually calculated with the help of a computer, programs to perform the required computations have not been widely available. In this paper we describe a computer program, written in Pascal, designed to simplify the calculation of intrinsic rates of increase and associated Jacknife estimates of variance. The program also computes (1) approximate confidence intervals, (2) several commonly used fertility table parameters with their standard errors, and (3) daily means for some of these parameters, which can be used for graphing data.

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