Question

A bat species (species 1) lives in a city. Another bat species (species 2) established a population in that same city after some individuals escaped from a zooo. Both species of bats are able to roost in buildings of any height. But in isolation, both species prefer to roost at the top of buildings that are at least 3 stories tall. After bat species 2 becomes established in the city, you observe that bat species 1 is only found roosting at the top of short buildings that are less than 3 stories tall, while bat species 2 roots only at the top of building that are three or more stories tall.

Roosting areas in buildings of any height are the _________________ of both bat species.
A. adaptation
B. fundamental niche
C. resource partitioning
D. realized niche
E. competitive exclusion

Answer 1

Roosting areas in buildings of any height are the resource partitioning of both bat species.

Step-by-step explanation:

• 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 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 same 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.