Giant pandas are a vulnerable species famous for their consumption of large amounts of bamboo. Write a discrete-time matrix model of a giant panda population using the following assumptions. We are modeling only the female population. – Pandas have three life stages: cubs, subadults, and reproductively mature adults. – Cubs remain cubs for only one year. They have a mortality rate of 17%. – Pandas remain subadults for three years. Thus, about 33% of subadults mature into adults each year. – 28% of subadults die each year. – On average, adults give birth to 0.5 female cubs each year. – 97.7% of adults survive from one year to the next.

Our Model will be:  

Step-by-step explanation:

As we know while making a discrete time matrix model we look at how much  of a state contributes to the next state thus let following be the variables which shows the present state and the next state:

Pandas have three life stages: cubs, sub adults, and re-productively mature adults So,

C = Cubs

S = Sub Adults

A = Mature Adults

Now,

Next Level    Contribution of C    Contribution of S   Contribution of A

 C+1          0 (since cubs only     0 (Since no sub      0.5 (Since adults give

                  remain cubs for a    adults will become    birth to 0.5 females

                      year.)                      cubs next year.)          each year.)

  S+1          0.83 (since all cubs    0.39 (Those who        0 (Since no adults

             will become sub-adults    remain sub-adults      will become

              accept those who die.     after those who          sub-adults next

              )               matured or died.           year.)

                                                      )

  A+1      0 (Since no cubs    0.33 (Since about 33%    0.977 (Since 97.7%

           will become adults    of sub adults mature     of adults will survive

              next year.              into adults each year.)     through next year.)

Thus, The model becomes:

answer: x=3 and y=4

step-by-step explanation: