1 The Logistic Equation

Assume that a population increases from births, which is dependent on the number
of individuals in the population and decreases from deaths, which is also dependent
on the number of individuals in the population. This population can be represented
with the dierential equation
dN
dt
= bN dN (1.1)
where b is the birth rate and d is the death rate. We can introduce the parameter
r to represent the dierence in births and deaths. Thus our dierential equation
becomes
dN
dt
= rN (1.2)
If r > 0 then the population will grow without bound. This is in most cases
unrealistic, as the environment has some carrying capacity. One possible aw is
the assumption that the birth rate and death rate are constant. One might expect
that the birth and death rates for population sizes away from the carrying capacity
are constant but near the carrying capacity, the birth and death rates depend on
the population size. Near the carrying capacity, one might expect the birth rate
to decrease and the death rate to increase. Thus, we can rewrite the birth rate as
b = b
0
k
b
N and the death rate as d = d
0
+ k
d
N. Thus we can substitute these
expressions into equation (1.1) to get
dN
dt
= [(b
0
k
b
N) (d
0
+ k
d
N)] N
= [(b
0
d
0
) (k
b
+ k
d
) N] N (1.3)
We now dene the net growth rate, r = b
0
d
0
and the carrying capacity K,
which is the population size at which the birth rate and death rate are equal. Thus,
to determine K, we need to solve for N in the following equation
b
0
k
b
N = d
0
+ k
d
(1.4)
Therefore, K =
b
0
d
0
k
b
+k
d
. If we now use our expressions for r and K in equation
(1.3) then we get
dN
dt
= rN

1
N
K

(1.5)
This is the logistic equation.
1
2 Two Size Population
Assume that a sized-structured population has two size classes. Assume further
that the population size of the smaller size class increases from births, which is
dependent on the number of individuals in the larger size class (which is assumed
to be the reproductive class) and decreases from both deaths, which depends on
the number of individuals in the size class, and from aging, which depends on the
number of individuals in the age class who survive to the next size class. Assume
that the population size of the larger size class increases from aging, which depends
on the number of individuals who survive from the smaller size class, and decreases
from death, which depends on the number of individuals in the age class. This
size-structured population can be represented with the dierential equation
dN
1
dt
= bN
2
dN
1
a(1 d)N
dN
2
dt
= a(1 d)N
1
DN
2
(2.1)
Like with the derivation with the logistic equation, it is plausible to think that
as the population size approaches the carrying capacity, the birth rate will decrease
and the death rate will increase. Thus we can rewrite the birth rate as b = b
0

k
b1
N
1
k
b2
N
2
and the two death rates as d = d
0
+ k
d
N
1
and D = D
0
+ k
D
N
2
,
respectively. Thus we can substitute these expressions into equation (2.1) to get
dN
1
dt
= (b
0
k
b1
N
1
k
b2
N
2
) N
2
(d
0
+ k
d
N
1
) N
1
a (1 d
0
k
d
N
1
) N
1
dN
2
dt
= a (1 d
0
k
d
N
1
) N
1
(D
0
+ k
D
N
2
) N
2
(2.2)
The carrying capacity is the population size at which the birth rate and death
rate are equal. At the carrying capacity, the change in the total population size is
zero. To gure out what the carrying capacity is, we set b = d+D and
d(N
1
+N
2
)
dt
= 0
and solve for N
1
and N
2
. The carrying capacity will then be the sum of these two
values.
If we set b = d + D and try to solve for N
1
and N
2
we get
N
1
=
b
0
d
0
D
0
(k
b2
+ k
D
)
k
b1
+ k
d
N
2
=
b
0
d
0
D
0
(k
b1
+ k
d
)
k
b2
+ k
D
(2.3)
If we set
d(N
1
+N
2
)
dt
= 0 and try to solve for N
1
and N
2
we get
(b
0
k
b1
N
1
k
b2
N
2
) N
2
(d
0
+ k
d
N
1
) N
1
(D
0
+ k
D
N
2
) N
2
= 0 (2.4)
2
The proposed form, upon rearranging the and recombining the parameters is
dN
1
dt
= RN
1

1
N
1
+ N
2
K

aN
1
dN
2
dt
= rN
2

1
N
1
+ N
2
K

+ aN
1
(2.5)
3