Question

_____________ showed that a slow growing animal like elephant could reach enormous population densities in the absence of checks.

• A. Darwin
• B. Verhulst Pearl
• C. Allen
• D. Ernst Haeckel

Answer 1

The correct option is A Darwin

Reproductive fitness of an organism is measured by the number of healthy and fertile offsprings it produces compared to other individuals of the same species. Any species growing exponentially under unlimited resource conditions (food, mating, shelter, etc.) can reach enormous population densities in a short time.

For example, elephants carry a foetus weighing more than 110 kgs for about 22 months before giving birth to it. It has the longest gestation period (pregnancy) of any mammal. But Darwin showed that even a slow growing animal like an elephant could reach enormous numbers in the absence of checks such as limited food, competition, hunting etc.