Apple Tree Exponential Growth

35000
30000
25000
20000
Number of Trees

15000
10000
5000
0
1

Generation

I cut open an apple for my daughter; it had 8 seeds in it. This will represent the first
generation in year one in the chart above.
Assuming all seeds matured into mature, fruit-bearing trees, there would be 32,768 apple
trees after the fifth generation.
My graph has the number of generations representing the x-axis, while the y-axis
represents the number of trees for a given generation.
Some environmental factors that could limit populations include: habitat destruction,
habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, global climate change, overexploitation, exotic
species, and increased spread of disease.
If a population were subjected to some of the above environmental factors for an
extended amount of time, we could reasonably expect to see population numbers decline.
Depending on the species, they may be able to overcome one or maybe a few of the threats to
biodiversity above, but exposure to these for a considerable amount of time would not be easy to
overcome. If a species was losing its habitat to human expansion, it may be resistant enough to

Apple Tree Exponential Growth

be able to relocate. But if we couple the habitat destruction with overexploitation and an
introduction of an invasive exotic species, the long term prospects arent very promising. Each
situation is different, but any long term exposure to these threats would likely result in a
population decrease.