The question of whether an optimal body size exists for different kinds of animals is one that is of great interest to biologists. The reproductive power P of an individual can be modeled, following the ideas of ecologist James H. Brown (see his book Macroecology, University of Chicago Press, 1995), as the harmonic mean of two limiting rates. The harmonic mean of two numbers a and b is the reciprocals of the average of the inverses of the two numbers: = ti The two rates are a per-unit-mass rate R1 at which individuals acquire resources, and a per-unit-mass rate R2 at which individuals convert those resources into new individuals; that is, RR2 P= Ri+R2 Assuming both Rị and R2 are the following allometric functions of body mass measure in kilograms R1 2M3/4 and R2 = 4M-1/4, find the body mass M that maximizes the reproductive power P, М- kg.

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Chapter1: Functions And Models
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The question of whether an optimal body size exists for different kinds of animals is one that is of great interest to biologists. The reproductive power \( P \) of an individual can be modeled, following the ideas of ecologist James H. Brown (see his book *Macroecology*, University of Chicago Press, 1995), as the harmonic mean of two limiting rates. The harmonic mean of two numbers \( a \) and \( b \) is the reciprocal of the average of the inverses of the two numbers:

\[
\frac{1}{\frac{1}{a} + \frac{1}{b}} = \frac{ab}{a+b}
\]

The two rates are a per-unit-mass rate \( R_1 \) at which individuals acquire resources, and a per-unit-mass rate \( R_2 \) at which individuals convert those resources into new individuals; that is,

\[
P = \frac{R_1 R_2}{R_1 + R_2}
\]

Assuming both \( R_1 \) and \( R_2 \) are the following allometric functions of body mass measure in kilograms \( R_1 = 2M^{3/4} \) and \( R_2 = 4M^{-1/4} \),

Find the body mass \( M \) that maximizes the reproductive power \( P \),

\[
M = \,\, \_\_\_\_\_ \,\, \text{kg}.
\]
Transcribed Image Text:The question of whether an optimal body size exists for different kinds of animals is one that is of great interest to biologists. The reproductive power \( P \) of an individual can be modeled, following the ideas of ecologist James H. Brown (see his book *Macroecology*, University of Chicago Press, 1995), as the harmonic mean of two limiting rates. The harmonic mean of two numbers \( a \) and \( b \) is the reciprocal of the average of the inverses of the two numbers: \[ \frac{1}{\frac{1}{a} + \frac{1}{b}} = \frac{ab}{a+b} \] The two rates are a per-unit-mass rate \( R_1 \) at which individuals acquire resources, and a per-unit-mass rate \( R_2 \) at which individuals convert those resources into new individuals; that is, \[ P = \frac{R_1 R_2}{R_1 + R_2} \] Assuming both \( R_1 \) and \( R_2 \) are the following allometric functions of body mass measure in kilograms \( R_1 = 2M^{3/4} \) and \( R_2 = 4M^{-1/4} \), Find the body mass \( M \) that maximizes the reproductive power \( P \), \[ M = \,\, \_\_\_\_\_ \,\, \text{kg}. \]
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