Question

Explain how resource partitioning may lead to the following two processes :

• modification of a population's realized niche
• speciation.

Answer 1

In a large habitat of a population there are several species including competitors.Realized niche is the actual habitat where an organism live and make use the avilable resources for its survival. In order to co-exsist in a habitat the competing specis (both interspecific and intraspecific competiton) will partion their reources ie the competing species alter their use of habitat to divide resources between them. Resource partitioning help co existence of the different species using the same resouces.

When two species compete for the same exact resource, and if one of the species has an advantage over the other , in the absence of resource partitioning , the species with adavantages persist in a long term . And the weaker species eventually go extinct or move into another niche.

In similar population with same geographical distribution , due to competition they show marked differences in characters (this differences are not conspicous if they are not overlapping).This changes are reflected in can be morphological, ecological, behavioral, or physiological and it will be due to underlying genetical differences. This is called character displacement which are important in speciation.