Two species of sea urchins live practically side by side on sandy bottoms. The two species appear to have the same diet: drift seaweeds and other bits of organic matter. They are able to live in the same environment with minimal competition. How might they be able to share their habitat and food
To determine: The way in which two species of sea urchins might be able to share their habitat and food resources.
Introduction: Coexistence of ecologically similar species may be defined as the act of cohabitation between similar species due to the difference in their use of potentially limiting resources such as food and water.
Explanation of Solution
Sea urchins are the marine creatures that inhabit the oceans all over the world. They can live in a variety of environments such as on rock pools, muds, coral reefs, and sea grass beds. Along with these, they can also lodge themselves half way into the surface of the sand, holes, or muds.
Coexistence of ecologically similar sea urchins might be possible when the competition between them reduces due to the reasons as follows:
- Being active at different times of the day.
- Feeding at different times of the day.
- Feeding at different levels in the sand. From the two species, one species may pick up the organic material slightly deeper in the sand than the other. This may cause slight differences in their feeding manner or food resource, which may help in the coexistence of sea urchins in the same habitat.
- Feeding at different areas. From the two species, one species may migrate to the rocky bottoms at night to graze on a different type of food.
- Differential ability to digest the organic material and/or the drift algae.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 10 Solutions
MARINE BIOLOGY W/CONNECT CODE <IC>
- A feeding relationship that proceeds from algae to a fish, then to a fisherman, and then to a shark is _____. a. a food chain b. a food web c. a and barrow_forwardA group of golden lion tamarins were released into their natural habitat but most did not survive. The researchers found most were very underweight, presumably due to a lack of food availability. Using the information provided above, What is a possible solution to this human impact problem before releasing more tamarins into this habitat?arrow_forwardYou are studying the competitive interactions between largemouth bass and lake trout in a several lakes. Some lakes have both largemouth bass and trout, while other lakes don’t have largemouth bass. You examined the gut content of a large sample of bass and trout. In lakes in which both species are found, 100% of the bass diet is composed of small fish while only 15% of the trout’s diet is composed of small fish. The remaining 85% of the trout diet’s is composed of zooplankton. In the lakes without bass, the diet of the lake trout is composed at 85% of small fish and 15% of zooplankton. What can you conclude from these results? Select one: a. Largemouth Bass will eventually completely exclude Lake Trout from the Lake. b. The absence of Largemouth Bass results in a trophic cascade. c. Largemouth Bass have a greater carrying capacity than Lake Trout. d. Without Largemouth Bass, the trout populations grow exponentially. e. The presence of Largemouth Bass prevents the Lake Trout to…arrow_forward
- Based on the simple food chain for cod shown here, and what you know about the biology of cod, propose one action that people could take to help the cod population recover. Phytoplankton (producers) → zooplankton → small fish, shrimp, crabs → codarrow_forwardWhen populations of ocean perch and herring are reduced, which other species in this ecosystem are directly affected? Identify at least two species that directly lose their food source.arrow_forwardWhy do the top predators in the food web receive the least amount of energy from the animals they eat?arrow_forward
- Feral cat in wild compared to domestic cat are they larger or same size? Feral cats are they tougher then domestic cats for predators like bobcats or raccoons or possum or skunks or weasel? If feral cat has litter how they defend the litter from predators like dogs gain pack to surrive as cats won’t?arrow_forwardAt what general size does a fish population have the greatest potential for growth and reproduction?arrow_forwardWhich of the following is NOT a reason for the increased global fish consumption? Group of answer choices Increased fishing effort We have to catch and eat them all before they take over the world! increased human population Increased consumption as a healthy source of proteinarrow_forward
- What evidence is there that predators can control the abundance of prey?arrow_forwardwhy do large animals eat so low on the food chainarrow_forwardResearchers have suggested that predators could actually increase the population density of a prey species heavily infested by a pathogenic parasite. Explain how predation could lead to population increases in the prey population.arrow_forward
- Human Biology (MindTap Course List)BiologyISBN:9781305112100Author:Cecie Starr, Beverly McMillanPublisher:Cengage Learning