Question

The (click to select) states that two species with overlapping niches cannot survive together. Local (click to select) of one of the species will occur. In order for complete exclusion from an area to be avoided, (click to select) can occur whereby similar sympatric species evolve slightly different (click to select). Differentiation of niches can occur through space or time and reflects past.

a) Competitive exclusion principle, extinction, adaptive radiation, traits
b) Competitive exclusion principle, coexistence, adaptive radiation, traits
c) Coexistence principle, extinction, sympatric speciation, niches
d) Coexistence principle, competition, sympatric speciation, traits

Answer 1

The Competitive exclusion principle indicates that two species cannot coexist indefinitely when competing for the same resources, leading to the extinction of one species unless adaptive radiation leads to trait changes allowing coexistence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the fill-in-the-blank question is: a) Competitive exclusion principle, extinction, adaptive radiation, traits. This statement reflects the concept that two species with overlapping niches cannot coexist indefinitely in the same environment because they compete for the same resources.

The less competitive species may face extinction. To avoid such an outcome, a process known as adaptive radiation may occur, leading to evolutionary changes that result in differentiated traits. As a result, species with similar niches can evolve to occupy different microniches and coexist through a process known as resource partitioning.