Living Graph: Maximum Sustainable Yield

This living graph allows you to vary the intrinsic rate of growth (r), the carrying capacity (K), the initial population size (Nt), and the harvest effort (E).

  1. Begin by choosing a set of values for r, K, Nt, and E. Examine the change in the population over time for this set of values.
  2. Now, repeat the exercise with a larger value of E; repeat with a smaller value of E.
  3. Hold the value of E constant and change the value of r.

Range of Time (T):

Initial Population (Nt)

Growth Rate (r)

Capacity (K)

Harvest Effort (E)

Update Graph Reset Page

To compare two populations over the same Time (T), please enter values above. Click the items in the legend to hide or display the corresponding plotted points. Explore the plotted points by hovering over them with your cursor; you can zoom in on a section of the graph by clicking and dragging. When zoomed-in, you may explore the timeline by dragging the scroll bar at the top of the graph. Reset the graph by clicking "Show all".

The graph plots population from 0 to 2500, versus time from 0 to 10. N T: 0, 2000; 4, 1200; 10, 1000. Harvest: 0, 0; 1, 480; 6, 250; 10, 250. All values are estimated.