Final answer:
The flock that can consume insects, seeds, and fruit will eat the most, while flocks with specialized diets will eat the least. Insects with a better sense of smell are likely to have a survival advantage in natural selection. Simulation studies predict population changes based on resource availability.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a simulated environment with equal amounts of insects, seeds, and fruit, the flock that is most adapted to utilizing all three food sources will be able to eat the most. The diverse diet of a flock allows for the consumption of a wide range of available food, thus reducing competition within the flock and increasing their overall food intake. Flocks that specialize in only one type of food will eat the least because of their restricted diet - these flocks would be limited to consuming only the portion of the environment's resources that matches their specialized diet. For example, if there is a flock of birds that primarily eat seeds, they would only utilize the seeds and not the insects or fruit, potentially leaving them with less overall food consumption compared to birds that eat all three.
Considering an environment with a good sense of smell can be critical for locating food, it can be hypothesized that if two types of insects are the same species with differing abilities to detect their limited food source, the type with the better sense of smell will likely be at an advantage. Over time, through the process of natural selection, the insects with better olfactory capabilities would probably have higher survival and reproduction rates, leading to an increase in the frequency of their advantageous genes in the population.
In the context of the given research studies, simulation studies help biologists predict how changes in mutation rates, food availability, and other factors may affect populations. For a species facing the high availability of termites and fruit, a simulation without selection can help to predict how these species might manage resources and competition when their primary food sources are abundant and not a limit to survival.