Year | 1938 | 1947 | 1950 | 1955 | 1957 | 1959 | 1963 | 1966 | 1969 | 1972 |
No. of otters | 310 | 530 | 660 | 800 | 880 | 1050 | 1190 | 1260 | 1390 | 1530 |
The sea otter has not only increased its abundance but has also expanded its range along the Californian coastline with a speed of about 2.2 km year. From this information estimate the diffusion coefficient D of the otter, assuming that the habitat (coastline) is one-dimensional.
Suppose then that you want to introduce a new population of E. lutris into the country of Whatsoever, where only a piece of shoreline, 80 km long, is the right habitat for hosting E. lutris. Outside that piece of shoreline the sea otter cannot survive at all. Assuming that the new population shares the same demographic and dispersal parameters with the Californian population, assess whether the new population can be successful or not.