Rabbit Births

A rabbit requires at least 10 square meters (10 m2) of grass per month in order to reproduce. Rabbits that eat very well (>30m2 of grass) will produce large litters. The number of bunnies born, Rborn, depends on the number of existing rabbits, Rstart, and the amount of food available to each rabbit.

where Rstart/2 is the number of pairs of rabbits (one female and one male), "7" is the maximum litter size, and the function fRB(x) is the efficiency a pair has of producing a full litter (see the figure below).

 

Assumptions:

 There are equal numbers of female and male rabbits currently on the island.

 There are equal numbers of female and male rabbits born on average so that the ratio of female to male rabbits does not change.

 Grassland rabbits are monogamous.

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