Question

Considering what you know about population distribution what type of distribution is likely to arise as a result of allelopathy justify your answer using complete sentences

Answer 1

Answer: It will result in a clumped or sparsely distributed population distribution

Explanation: Allelopathy is a phenomenon in which organisms produce chemicals that inhibit the growth or activities of other organisms around them.

On one hand, the inhibitory effects of allelopathic chemicals will ensure that more of organisms of the same kind survive and multiply within the chemical territory resulting in a clumped population distribution with low population diversity.

On the other hand, as a result of the inhibitory actions of the chemicals, few neighbouring organisms that can withstand the effects of these chemicals will survive and in the absence of adequate reproductive capacity from the organisms producing the allelochemicals, a sparsely distributed population ensues.