Two species of buttercup are found in a field in North Dakota, and they tend to flower at approximately the same time in early spring. When some ecology students decided to conduct an experiment in community dynamics, they selectively removed one species from the field by hand-picking all emergent plants. The remaining species showed a significant increase in its population size during the next season. This study demonstrated
A) intraspecific competition.
B) habitat fragmentation.
C) interspecific competition.
D) niche fragmentation.
E) niche realignment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The significant increase in population size of the remaining species after one was removed indicates interspecific competition, where two different species compete for the same resources. Removing one species reduced competition, allowing the other to thrive.

Two Species of Buttercup Are Found in a Field in North