Ecological isolation, Biology

Assignment Help:

Ecological isolation is based on the fact that population shows preference to one habitat over the other. This extensive forests become barriers to the dispersal of organims living in grasslands. The reverse that priaries being barriers to forest organisms is also true. The red tree mousephenocomys 1ongicaudu.s lives on fir needle trees and feeds on fir needle. It is understandable that for these mice not only priaries but the non-fir forests will also be a barrier for dispersal.

You may recall that in unit of this block we discussed extensively MacArthur's study of five species of warbler birds living in spruce trees. The five species of Dendroica are effectively isolated by ecological factors although they have a similar distribution. As a matter of fact, the ecological and food preference of the different species of warblers are very similar. Under such circumstances one would have expected a severe competition among them. But each species has carved a well defined niche and forages at a particular level in the trees. Differences in breeding dates and occupation of different habitats outside the breeding season are the contributing factors for the minimum competition and niche overlap among the species. There are other instances where potential mates keep away from each other because of their habitat preferences. In these cases there might even be a broad niche overlap and the individuals may exist in the same general area, but the distinctness of sub-species and species is maintained. Dice cited an example from United States where the two sub-species of mice Peromyscus maniculatus have overlapping niches and do not interbreed in nature, although there is interbreeding in the laboratory. Similarly another.study showed that the fresh water and salt water races of the water snake Natrix sipedon may come close together but may not interbreed because of their habitat preferences.


Related Discussions:- Ecological isolation

Female accessory sex organs, Normal 0 false false false ...

Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Define essential parts of photocolorimeter - light source, Define Essential...

Define Essential Parts of Photocolorimeter - Light Source? The light source is usually a tungsten lamp, for wavelength in the visible range (320-700 nm) and a deuterium or hydr

What are the ploidies of the new cells, In which meiotic division does the ...

In which meiotic division does the separation of identical chromatids occur? After the end of this process what are the ploidies of the new cells? The separation of identical c

Amoeboid protozoan, Amoeboid Protozoan Amoeboid protozoan are distingu...

Amoeboid Protozoan Amoeboid protozoan are distinguished by the presence of flowing extensions of their body known as pseudopodia. These are used for feeding and locomotion. Th

Prothoracic gland or ptc, Prothoracic Gland or PTC Prothoracic gland ...

Prothoracic Gland or PTC Prothoracic gland (PTC) or moulting gland and ecdysone or moulting hormone The 3 rd endocrine gland-prothoracic gland- is an irregular branching

What are the major human diseases caused by virus, Q. What are the major hu...

Q. What are the major human diseases caused by virus? Among diseases caused by virus are common cold, variola (considered eradicated nowadays), mumps, measles, rubella, AIDS, t

Coronal disassembly-endodontics principles and practice, Coronal Disassembl...

Coronal Disassembly -If the existing restoration functionally designed well fitting and esthetically pleasing , -The access the pulp chamber during retreatment is better app

Annexin v is a protein that binds to phosphatidylserine, Annexin V is a pro...

Annexin V is a protein that binds to Phosphatidylserine. Why is this useful in the lab? Does it have to do with testing whether the cell is in normal condition?

Avian tuberculosis, Avian tuberculosis The infection in poultry usuall...

Avian tuberculosis The infection in poultry usually occurs from ingestion of contaminated food and water. The lesions develop in spleen, liver and intestines; less frequently

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd