Marine Biology (Botany, Zoology, Ecology and Evolution)
Marine Biology (Botany, Zoology, Ecology and Evolution)
10th Edition
ISBN: 9780078023064
Author: Peter Castro, Michael E. Huber Dr.
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
bartleby

Videos

Textbook Question
Book Icon
Chapter 10, Problem 1CT

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 resources?

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
Summary Introduction

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?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
Students have asked these similar questions
Red-billed oxpeckers feed almost exclusively on what they can collect from the skin of large African mammals. This includes ticks and other ectoparasites, but also dead skin and blood of the mammal. The attached image shows a red-billed oxpecker sitting on the back of a warthog with a tick in its bill. A recent study found that the depletion of African mammals due to habitat loss and hunting leads to declines in oxpeckers. Researchers were interested in whether the nature of the interaction between African mammals and oxpeckers was context-dependent. They compared the effect of removal of oxpeckers in two areas in which the number of ticks on the mammals differed. Given the data described in the introduction to this section, what effect do African mammals have on oxpeckers a) Positive b) negative c) neutral
Red-billed oxpeckers feed almost exclusively on what they can collect from the skin of large African mammals. This includes ticks and other ectoparasites, but also dead skin and blood of the mammal. The attached image shows a red-billed oxpecker sitting on the back of a warthog with a tick in its bill. A recent study found that the depletion of African mammals due to habitat loss and hunting leads to declines in oxpeckers. Researchers were interested in whether the nature of the interaction between African mammals and oxpeckers was context-dependent. They compared the effect of removal of oxpeckers in two areas in which the number of ticks on the mammals differed. In area 2, stomach content data of oxpeckers showed they consumed ~400 ticks per day. Cows were infested experimentally with large numbers of tick larvae and then oxpeckers were introduced at different stages in the tick life cycle (larvae; nymph; adult). They counted the number of adult ticks that dropped off the…
Consider a trophiccascade with 4 levels:  1) predatory fish that consume planktivorous fish, 2) planktivorous fish that consume zooplankton,3)  herbivorous zoplankton that consume phytoplankton, and 4) phytoplankton. True or False: A reduction in predatory fish will increase the level of phytoplankton.  True  False
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Biology
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, biology and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
Biology: The Dynamic Science (MindTap Course List)
Biology
ISBN:9781305389892
Author:Peter J. Russell, Paul E. Hertz, Beverly McMillan
Publisher:Cengage Learning
MARINE ECOSYSTEM (Animation); Author: EarthPen;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wrUr0esoI0;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY