A Law of Nature?

TL;DR

This paper proposes a unifying principle and differential equation to explain diverse population behaviors in nature, suggesting a fundamental law governing population dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel overarching principle and a single differential equation that encapsulate various population regimes, unifying current diverse models.

Findings

A candidate differential equation for population dynamics is proposed.

The principle explains diverse behaviors like growth, decline, and oscillations.

The model aligns with observed natural population patterns.

Abstract

Is there an overriding principle of nature, hitherto overlooked, that governs all population behavior? A single principle that drives all the regimes observed in nature - exponential-like growth, saturated growth, population decline, population extinction, oscillatory behavior? In current orthodox population theory, this diverse range of population behaviors is described by many different equations - each with its own specific justification. The signature of an overriding principle would be a differential equation which, in a single statement, embraces all the panoply of regimes. A candidate such governing equation is proposed. The principle from which the equation is derived is this: The effect on the environment of a population's success is to alter that environment in a way that opposes the success.