Distinguish between home range and territory.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The differences between home range and territory are: 1. Home range is the entire area an animal lives in and travels within to meet its needs, while territory is a smaller, specific area within the home range that is actively defended. 2. Home ranges can overlap between animals without conflict, while territories are defended to prevent competition for resources. 3. Home range encompasses all of an animal's daily needs (food, water, shelter, and mates), whereas territory is primarily focused on securing resources for reproduction and offspring survival.

Step by step solution

01

Define Home Range

Home range refers to the area in which an animal or group of animals lives and travels to meet their daily needs such as finding food, water, shelter, and mates. It is not fiercely defended like a territory, and can overlap with the home ranges of other animals.
02

Define Territory

Territory is a smaller, specific area within an animal's home range that is actively defended against intrusion by other individuals or groups of the same species. Territories are established to ensure the availability of resources for the animal and its offspring, and to reduce competition within the species.
03

Provide Examples

An example of a home range could be the area in which a deer travels to find food, water, and shelter throughout its life. This area will likely overlap with the home ranges of other deer, and they may share resources without conflict. On the other hand, a bird may establish a territory within its home range for nesting purposes. The bird would defend this specific area from other birds of the same species to ensure that the resources, such as food, within its territory are available for its offspring.
04

Summarize Differences

In summary, the differences between home range and territory are as follows: 1. Home range is the entire area an animal lives in and travels within to meet its needs, while territory is a smaller, specific area within the home range that is actively defended. 2. Home ranges can overlap between animals without conflict, while territories are defended to prevent competition for resources. 3. Home range encompasses all of an animal's daily needs (food, water, shelter, and mates), whereas territory is primarily focused on securing resources for reproduction and offspring survival.

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