These Shorebirds Illustrate Niche Partitioning;each Species Has a Specialized Bill

question 60

Multiple Choice

These shorebirds illustrate niche partitioning;each species has a specialized bill that permits it to feed in ways that reduce competition with other shorebirds living in the community.How might a biologist explain niche partitioning?

• A) Birds with compatible adaptations eventually find one another and establish mature communities.
• B) By sharing a resource,each species is less abundant than if it were alone;natural selection will eventually produce a shorebird that can exploit the entire food resource.
• C) These birds are coevolving;the adaptations each displays represent the response to directional selection pressure created by their competitors.
• D) Highly diverse communities are more stable than those with low diversity;given enough time,the evolution of adaptations that reduce competition would be expected.

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Definitions:

Reaction Formation

A defense mechanism where an individual acts in exactly the opposite way to their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings.

Stress

The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

Psychodynamic Theorists

Researchers and thinkers who analyze human behavior through the lens of unconscious processes, emotions, and childhood experiences as originally proposed by Freud.

Unconscious Mental Processes

Mental processes that occur without conscious awareness, influencing perceptions, thoughts, and behaviors.