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

How is cancer usually treated, Q. How is cancer usually treated? If the...

Q. How is cancer usually treated? If the cancer is in its initial stage cure is often done by surgical removal of the neoplastic tissue. The Cancers already disseminated are of

What is global warming, What is global warming? Global warming is the e...

What is global warming? Global warming is the enhance in the temperature of the planet due to accumulation of some gases in the atmosphere, especially gases that retain the sol

Explain the term protoderm, Explain the term Protoderm? The protoderm ...

Explain the term Protoderm? The protoderm is one of the so-called "primary tissues" because it is formed first during germination and subsequent plant growth. The protoderm g

Illustrating how neuropsychologists evaluate young children, Illustrating h...

Illustrating how neuropsychologists evaluate young preschool children, older children, youngster adults, and elderly adults. The brain is an evolving organ and functions very

Problems of osmoregulation, Problems of Osmoregulation The water, some...

Problems of Osmoregulation The water, some inorganic salts, nutrient molecules are some of the important components of the body fluids. It is essential for the animals to main

Regulation of the renal function, Q. Which are the three hormones that part...

Q. Which are the three hormones that participate in the regulation of the renal function? Antidiuretic hormone or ADH or vasopressin, atrial natriuretic factor (or ANF) and ald

Explain some characteristic features of mucor, Explain some Characteristic ...

Explain some Characteristic Features of Mucor? 1. Stolons characteristics of Rhizopus are absent in Mucor. The aerial mycelium in Mucor consists of branched hyphae, which grow

Feature of the hookworms related to the way they obtain food, Q. Which is t...

Q. Which is the typical feature of the hookworms related to the way they obtain food and explore the host? Both The Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale have mouthparts

Rituals , Rituals: The social life of  the earliest human groups or tri...

Rituals: The social life of  the earliest human groups or tribes revolved around food gathering. To begin with, they must have collected anything they could eat-seeds,  nuts, f

Explain gastric bypass - surgical management for obesity, Explain Gastric B...

Explain Gastric Bypass - surgical management for obesity? Surgery is the current 'gold standard' for bariatric surgical procedures. It involves use of a stapling device to crea

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