Question

As you study two closely related predatory insect species, the two-spot and the three-spot avenger beetles, you notice that each species seeks prey at dawn in areas without the other species. However, where their ranges overlap, the two-spot avenger beetle hunts at night and the three-spot hunts in the morning. You have discovered an example of ________.
A.Batesian mimicryB.character displacementC.resource partitioningD.mutualism

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Resource partitioning

Explanation:

When two species with shared resource requirement differentiate their niche from each other so that they can coexist in the same habitat, the process is referred to as resource partitioning.

In the given example, both two-spot and the three-spot avenger beetles hunt for the prey at dawn when not present together. However, when these two species are present together in the same region, they separate their niche temporally by hunting at a different time of a day so that they can survive in the same habitat.  Hence, it represents resource partitioning.