Hummingbirds actively and aggressively defend rich sources of nectar.This food source is not limited,yet the consumption rate per individual is reduced.This might be due to__________.
A) Lotka-Volterra predator-prey relationships
B) Mutual interference and hummingbirds spending more time defending sources of nectar
C) Crowding, which tends to dampen intraspecific competition
D) Mutual interference and hummingbirds spending more time searching for sources of nectar

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hummingbirds actively defend rich sources of nectar to prevent other individuals from accessing the same resource. This mutual interference reduces the time hummingbirds spend feeding and increases the time spent defending the resource, leading to a reduced consumption rate per individual. Crowding (C) might lead to intraspecific competition, but since the food source is not limited, it is unlikely to be impacting the consumption rate. Lotka-Volterra predator-prey relationships (A) do not apply here since there is no predation involved. Similarly, there is no indication that hummingbirds are spending more time searching for sources of nectar (D).

Hummingbirds Actively and Aggressively Defend Rich Sources of Nectar