Non-Linear Interactions of Populations and the Importance of Estimating Per Capita Rates of Change

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Abstract
A computational formula was derived for estimating the per capita rate of change in experimental cohorts when detailed schedules for reproduction and survival during the reproductive period are impractical to obtain. For experiments that manipulate densities, this calculation can provide estimates for the unlimited population growth rate (rm), the equilibrium carrying capacity (K), and the intensity of interspecific interactions. These methods are applied to life history data for treehole mosquitoes (Aedes triseriatus), to underscore the potential shortcomings of analyzing separate life-history features in testing the adequacy of simple linear models of population growth. Non-linearities which arise when survivorship and fecundity are treated separately may cancel when gathered into a well-behaved estimate of population growth.