Competition and Competitive Exclusion - Unsolved Practice Set
Chapter: Organisms and Populations | Topic: Competition and Competitive Exclusion
COMPETITION AND COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION - UNSOLVED PRACTICE SET
Topic: Competition and Competitive Exclusion
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. Competition, as an ecological interaction, occurs when:
- Two or more species (or individuals) are negatively affected while competing for a shared, limited resource
- One species benefits while the other is unaffected
- Both species benefit equally from interacting
- One species preys directly upon another
Q2. Competition occurring between individuals of the same species is called:
- Interspecific competition
- Intraspecific competition
- Mutualism
- Commensalism
Q3. Gause's Competitive Exclusion Principle states that:
- Two species can always coexist indefinitely, regardless of resource overlap
- Two species competing for exactly the same limiting resource cannot coexist indefinitely in the same habitat
- Competition never affects population size
- Only intraspecific competition is ecologically significant
Q4. Resource partitioning refers to a situation where competing species:
- Completely eliminate one another through direct competition
- Evolve to use slightly different resources or niches, reducing direct competition and allowing coexistence
- Merge into a single species
- Stop reproducing altogether
Q5. The introduction of goats to the Galapagos Islands, where they outcompeted native tortoises for food resources, is often cited as a real-world example of:
- Mutualism
- Interspecific competition
- Commensalism
- Parasitism
Short Answer Questions
Q6. Define competition, and differentiate between intraspecific and interspecific competition.
Q7. State Gause's Competitive Exclusion Principle in your own words.
Q8. What is resource partitioning, and how does it help competing species avoid complete competitive exclusion?
Q9. Give one real-world example of interspecific competition between two species.
Long Answer Questions
Q10. Discuss Gause's Competitive Exclusion Principle, explaining what happens when two species compete directly for exactly the same limiting resource within the same habitat.
Q11. Explain the concept of resource partitioning, using a suitable example to describe how competing species can evolve to coexist by using slightly different resources.
APPLICATION / ANALYSIS
Q12. Two species of birds living in the same forest both feed primarily on insects, but over time, one species begins feeding mainly in the treetops while the other feeds mainly on the forest floor. Explain, using your understanding of competition and resource partitioning, how this behavioural shift could help both species coexist.
Q13. When goats were introduced to certain Galapagos Islands, populations of native tortoises declined sharply due to competition for limited plant food resources. Explain, using Gause's Competitive Exclusion Principle, why the introduction of a more efficient competitor could threaten the survival of the native species in this shared habitat.