5.5 Mathematical models are used to predict the growth of a population, that is, population size at some future date. The simplest model is that for exponential growth. The calculation requires knowledge of the organism's maximum specific growth rate. A value for this coefficient can be obtained from field observa- tions of population size or from laboratory experiments where population size is monitored as a function of time when growing at high substrate concentrations (S » K₂) (Table 5.16): Table / 5.16 Field Observations of Population Size Over Time Time (days) 0 1 2 3 ندا 4 5 Сл Biomass (mg/L) 50 136 369 1,004 2,730 7,421 Calculate max for this population, assuming expo- nential growth; include appropriate units.

Fig: 1