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Re: I will no longer respond to barks from the kennel.
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Subject: Re: I will no longer respond to barks from the kennel.
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From: "Mike Asher" <masher@tusc.net>
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Date: 17 Nov 1996 08:47:12 GMT
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Article: 16073 of alt.sustainable.agriculture
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Newsgroups: alt.agriculture.misc, alt.org.earth-first, alt.politics.economics, alt.politics.greens, alt.save.the.earth, alt.sustainable.agriculture, sci.agriculture, sci.econ, sci.energy, sci.environment, talk.environment
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Organization: db Technology
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References: <542t7d$iep@rainbow.rmii.com> <32665F05.112@ilhawaii.net><JMC.96Nov10090026@Steam.stanford.edu> <565ehv$qm9@agate.berkeley.edu><01bbcf5b$bd8e1700$89d0d6cc@masher> <3287B796.29F5@ilhawaii.net><568lau$6sc_005@pm7-97.hal-pc.org> <32889C11.6C6F@ilhawaii.net> <JMC.96Nov12092744@Steam.stanford.edu> <01bbd0d6$0771d520$89d0d6cc@masher> <328E6EB4.38B1@ilhawaii.net>
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Xref: newz.oit.unc.edu alt.agriculture.misc:6436 alt.org.earth-first:6689 alt.politics.economics:92683 alt.politics.greens:23607 alt.save.the.earth:25788 alt.sustainable.agriculture:16073 sci.agriculture:15982 sci.econ:60393 sci.energy:58283 sci.environment:111898 talk.environment:77296
Jay Hanson <jhanson@ilhawaii.net> wrote:
>
> Ecologists define "carrying capacity" as the population of a
> given species that be supported indefinitely in a defined
> habitat without permanently damaging the ecosystem
Incorrect, as I pointed out. Carrying capacity is the asymptotic value of
the population model's defining equation. Most models will show a "hump"
under certain boundary conditions, where population increases then declines
before reaching the asymptote. The decline results from an inserted
competition term; some models add other terms, which may include estimates
as to "ecosystem damage". However, the definition remains unchanged.
Some nonlinear population models may have no asymptote at all. In this
case, the concept of carrying capacity is not well-defined, and other terms
must be used. Bruce Scott may have some information here.
I don't know why Hanson takes the correction so personally. I'm not even
challenging his assumption that overpopulation _can_ damage an ecosystem;
I'm simply addressing the imprecise use of the term.
--
Mike Asher
masher@tusc.net
"A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother."
- anonymous
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