Problem 1 — Identifying Island vs. Continental Context

Question: An ecological survey finds that doubling the area of a forest reserve increases species richness by 10.5%. Is this more consistent with an island or continental setting?

Solution: If doubling area → 10.5% increase in species: $S_{2}$/$S_{1}$ = 1.105 when $A_{2}$/$A_{1}$ = 2 1.105 = 2^Z log(1.105) = Z × log(2) 0.0434 = Z × 0.3010 Z = 0.0434/0.3010 = 0.144

Z ≈ 0.14 → falls in range 0.1–0.2 → Continental setting

Conclusion: This Z value is consistent with a large, connected continental area where immigration rescue buffers species loss.