The Second Derivative and Population Modeling

Abstract

Deficiencies in first-order differential equations are discussed as a motivation for considering second-order equations. The premise that environmental and intrapopulational forces act to alter the rate of change of a population, instead of the population size directly, is then investigated as a basis for modeling the dynamics of populations. The predictions of this assumption are compared to several classical features of previously published data and found to give some justification for the adoption of this view.