Question

Two species of cattail (Typha) live in shallow water along the shoreline of ponds. Although T. agustifolia can live by itself in water 0—20 cm deep, in the presence of T. latifolia, it occurs only in water > 20 cm deep, whereas T. latifolia occurs in shallower water. In this example, T. agustifolia is limited by competition exploiting its

A) ecological niche.
B) fundamental niche.
C) realized niche.
D) physiological niche.

Answer 1

T. agustifolia is limited by competition exploiting its realized niche. In the presence of T. latifolia, T. agustifolia occurs only in water > 20 cm deep.

Step-by-step explanation:

T. agustifolia is limited by competition exploiting its realized niche. The realized niche refers to the actual range of environmental conditions and resources that a species occupies in the presence of competitors or other ecological factors. In this case, T. agustifolia can live in water 0-20 cm deep by itself, but in the presence of T. latifolia, it occurs only in water > 20 cm deep. This suggests that the presence of T. latifolia is restricting the ecological niche of T. agustifolia to deeper waters.