Character displacement and ecological exclusion, Biology

Assignment Help:

Consider two species of organisms, species A and species B. Species A has a population in a community. Another population species B arrives into the same community, rather suddenly, being brought into the community by man (there could be other ways by which the new species can enter into a community). Let us assume that the food organisms of the two species are identical (it can be insects or seeds etc.). The range of food particle size fed upon by each individual species falls into a normal curve. By normal curve we mean that there is a variation in the given trait, for example size of the seeds or insects in this case, or beak sizes which are all distributed in such a way that the largest number of individuals in the population has optimum or mean size or measurement and a very few individuals have extreme sizes or measurments. The normal distribution as shown in Figure takes the fo!m of a bell shaped curve. You could observe from Figure that there is a significant overlap in the normal curves of food capturing devices (mouth, beak or tooth sizes) of species A and B. The region of overlap implies that the members of the two species have to compete for their food over a larger area in the community. Essentially, there is an ecological interspecific cornpetiton for food. You may also note in the figure that some food particles (food particles of both large and small sizes) are out of the reach of each species. Although the population as a whole can feed on a range of food particle size, any individual in the community is restricted in the size of the food particles it can feed on.

Assuming that the number of food particles of each size is the same, then individuals outside the region of overlap have better accessibility to the food particles and thcy may have to expend only less energy in acquiring them. Compare these individuals with those which lie within the region of overlap. They have not only to compete with conspecific individuals for their food, but with those of the other species as well. The net result is that the individuals outside the region of overlap have more energy for reproduction, and naturally will tend to leave more offsprings to thc next generation. These offsprings will essentially carry the alleles of their parents including those involved in the determination of food particle size. The effect of this natural selection.


Related Discussions:- Character displacement and ecological exclusion

What is absorption, What is absorption?   Absorption involves  the  tr...

What is absorption?   Absorption involves  the  transfer of materials  through  the mucosa of the  alimentary tract  into blood and lymph vessels.

Use of gloves as personal protective equipment, Q. Use of Gloves as persona...

Q. Use of Gloves as personal protective equipment? Gloves are task specific. The different types of gloves worn in the dental office are: i) Examination gloves ii) Over o

What is working of mouth in human body, What is Working of Mouth in human b...

What is Working of Mouth in human body? Food enters the digestive system through the mouth, where it is processed by the teeth and mixed with saliva, prior to being swallowed.

Some species of plant are strongly adapted to pollination, Some species of ...

Some species of plant are strongly adapted to pollination by certain insects.   Characteristics which are regarded as adaptations to pollination by bees are: ( a) white o

Classification of wastes, Wastes are classified into following categories: ...

Wastes are classified into following categories: 1.      Biodegradable wastes: The waste materials that can be degraded by micro-organisms are called biodegradable wastes. Th

Salmonellosis in poultry, Salmonellosis in poultry A wide variety of se...

Salmonellosis in poultry A wide variety of serovars are prevalent among chicken, turkeys, ducks and geese. The poultry is an important reservoir of salmonellae. The common dise

Neural basis of responses to sex pheromones, Neural Basis of Responses to S...

Neural Basis of Responses to Sex Pheromones The ability of insects to detect and discriminate between a variety of pheromones with great sensitivity depends on the presence of

What are nutritional issues related to neurological disorder, What are nutr...

What are nutritional issues related to neurological disorders? Nutritional management of the patients with neurological disease is complex, as mechanisms and abilities needed f

Physical signs of mitral regurgitation, Q. Physical Signs of mitral regurgi...

Q. Physical Signs of mitral regurgitation? Pulse is of normal character but carotid upstroke may be brisk. Atrial fibrillation is often present in a patient with advanced disea

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd