Question

Tropical leafcutter ants collect leaf cuttings, which they transport to special underground chambers. There, they chew the leaves to create nursery beds on which they grow a species of fungus they use for food. When ant queens disperse to establish new colonies, they carry the fungus with them, dispersing it as well (this benefits the fungus). In the ants’ nest, the fungus is at risk of being replaced by another fungal species that is able to grow in the same habitat, using the same limited resources. On their bodies, the ants carry and provide a home for bacteria that produce antibiotics the ants use to kill this second fungus and thereby protect their food supply. In this system, the relationship between the two fungal species is:

a. parasitism.
b. predation.
c. mutualism.
d. commensalism.
e. interspecific competition.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option e. "interspecific competition".

Step-by-step explanation:

Interspecific competition is defined as an ecological interaction when different species of the same ecological area compete for resources. This type of interaction is commonly seen in nature, and the relationship of the two fungal species herein described belongs to this interaction. The species of fungus that grows in the nursery beds that ants create compete with the second fungal species that is able to growth the same habitat. Since both species are members of the same ecological area and both compete for the resources that ants offer they have an interspecific competition relationship.

Answer 2

option E

Step-by-step explanation:

In the system described above, the relationship that exists between this two different species of fungus is interspecific competition. Interspecific competition is the type of competition that occurs when individuals of different species compete for the same resources available. The two different fungal species is able to grow and utilize the same limited resources in the above description.