Answer:
- Roosting areas in buildings of any height are the fundamental niche of species 1.
- Interspecific competition between the two bat species occurs because both species prefer the same roosting areas.
- In parts of the city with only tall buildings (over two stories), competitive exclusion of species 1 may occur.
- Roosting areas in buildings that are one to two stories tall are the realized niche of species 1 when species 2 is present.
- The change in the roosting habits of species 1 after species 2 became established in the city is an example of resource partitioning.
- The competition between the species for roosting areas is an example of a negative/negative interaction
- The changes in the eyes of species 1 are examples of character displacement.
Explanation:
The ecological niche is the synthesis of all the environmental factors that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of species. These factors also include the interaction between species.
The fundamental niche refers only to physic conditions in which a species can live and survive in the absence of any interaction with other species.
The realized niche refers to the restricted conditions in which a species can live and survive as a result of environment physic characteristics and the interaction with other species.
Competitive exclusion refers to the exclusion of the inferior competitor by the superior competitor when there is not habitat differentiation, and both species can not share the same niche. In this case, the effective niche of the dominant species completely occupies the fundamental niche of the inferior competitor.
Resources partitioning refers to one dominant species monopolizing the resources, and the other inferior species use other resources -partially or completely-, migrates or get extinguished.
A way in which species can divide resources is by living in different habitat areas. These species might eat the same food, and can roost in different places within the habitat. This resource partitioning and differentiation in the function of their physic location allows both species to coexist more effectively.
In the present example, both bat species can coexist in the same city but the weaker bat species (species 1) roost at the top of the shorter buildings while dominant species (species 2) roost at the top of the highest buildings.
Character displacement is a phenotypic evolution produced and maintained by interspecific competition for resources, in this example, the roosting area. If two species overlap geographically, and they happen to co-occur, their differences became more accentuated.
