Final answer:
The barnacles in Dr. Connell's study exhibited exploitative competition, where the outcome for the less dominant species could include extinction, relocation, or character displacement to reduce competition for resources.
Step-by-step explanation:
The competition between barnacles described in Dr. J.H. Connell's study can be categorized as exploitative competition rather than interference competition. Exploitative competition occurs when organisms compete indirectly through the consumption of a limited resource. In Connell's study, the barnacles were competing for space on the rocks where they live. The exclusion of one barnacle species from the upper levels of the intertidal zone by another was due to the exploitation of space and resources needed to survive and reproduce.
Over time, some possible outcomes of this interaction on Species B, the species that has been outcompeted for space, could include extinction, moving to another area, or undergoing character displacement to reduce competition with the dominant Species A. If Species B cannot evolve or adapt to differentiate its ecological niche enough to lessen the direct competition for resources, it may eventually go extinct or be forced to relocate to survive.
Review
Competition in ecology refers to the relationship between organisms that vie for the same essential resources within an ecosystem. The evolutionary effects of both intraspecific and interspecific competition include natural selection driving adaptations that could lead to character displacement, allowing the species to coexist by exploiting different resources or occupying separate ecological niches.
Summary
Interspecific competition is a form of competition between different species that often results in character displacement. This adaptive evolution occurs when two species coexist and specialize to utilize different resources, reducing direct competition and promoting biodiversity.