Question

example of this principle at 21. A) What is the principle of allocation? B) Give an work in relation to (i) optimal foraging, (ii) life history traits, and (ii) competitive ability 22. A) What is meant by "prey switching"? B) Explain how this phenomenon could contribute to maintaining high species diversity within a community

Answer 1

Ans-21-A) The principle of allocation states that if an organism allocates energy to one function like growth or reproduction, the amount of energy available to other functions reduces.

Ans-21-B) An example of this principle at work in relation to-

i) Optimal foraging- Oyestercatcher forage on mussels and crack them open using their bills. The constraints on these birds are the characteristics of different mussel sizes. Though large mussels provide more enrgy than smaller mussels, they take a long time to crack open. The oyestercatcher has to decide which mussel size will provide enough nutrition to outweigh the energy required to open it.

ii) Life-history traits- Reproduction in the early stage lowers the chance of dying without offsprings in organisms whereas later reproduction may allow the organisms to have more and healthy offsprings. Members of certain species reproduce only once(semelparity) whereas other species reproduce multiple times(iteroparity).

iii) competitive ability- large aphids defend feeding sites on cottonwood leaves by ejecting smaller aphids from better sites.

iii)