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Question #46641
The Question
An alien species with a highly efficient foraging phenotype is introduced into a habitat, resulting in complete niche overlap with a native species under limited resource conditions. The native species is constrained by its historical foraging strategy. According to Gause's Competitive Exclusion Principle and related ecological concepts, which of the following statements regarding the resulting ecological cascade is INCORRECT?
Options
- A.
A. The native species will eventually be eliminated from the habitat due to its competitively inferior foraging strategy.
- B.
B. Specialist symbionts obligately dependent on the native species will face co-extinction.
- C.
C. The native species will immediately shift its fundamental niche through phenotypic plasticity to achieve resource partitioning.
- D.
D. The realized niche of the native species will be drastically reduced prior to its potential local extinction.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Comparative_Analysis
Sharpen your ability to evaluate multiple scenarios and distinguish between competing potential answers.
Concepts Behind This Question
Stratification Efficiency|Climax Community|Hydrarch Succession
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Distinguishing between 'Fundamental Niche' (physiological potential) and 'Realized Niche' (actual ecological role under competition).
Students often confuse the immediate behavioral shifts in a realized niche with a shift in the fundamental niche, or mistakenly believe resource partitioning can instantly rewrite a species' fundamental physiological constraints to avoid Gause's exclusion.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Organisms and Populations - Class 12 |
| Concept | Resource Partitioning (MacArthur’s Warblers) |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |