Question

1. Diagram given below depicts different species of Warbler birds feeding on different regions on a Spruce tree. Explain the mechanism which helps them to co-exist.
2. What does Gause‘s exclusion principle state? Does it apply in the case shown above? Explain.

Answer 1

1.    
   1. They are able to co-exist by mechanism of ‘resource partitioning’.
   2. If two species compete for the same resource, they could avoid competition by choosing different foraging patterns.
   3. MacArthur showed that five closely related species of warblers living on the same tree were able to avoid competition and co-exist due to behavioural differences in their foraging activities.
2.    
   1. Gause’s ‘Competitive Exclusion Principle’ states that two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist indefinitely.
   2. and the competitively inferior one will be eliminated eventually.
   3. No.