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Chapter 18: Problem 2

The number of tree species that occur in a hectare of equatorial rain forest in eastern Africa can exceed 250 In contrast, the number of tree species occurring in a hectare of tropical woodland in southern Africa rarely exceeds three. In which forest community (rain forest or woodland) do you think diffuse competition would be the most prevalent? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: Diffuse competition is more likely to be prevalent in the equatorial rainforest in eastern Africa due to its high species richness and greater potential for species overlap in terms of resource requirements.

Step by step solution

01

Define diffuse competition

Diffuse competition is a type of competition that occurs among multiple species within a community that compete for the same limited resources (such as space, light, and nutrients). In contrast to direct competition, which typically involves one-on-one interactions between two species, diffuse competition is spread over multiple species that share similar ecological niches and resource requirements, often resulting in complex, indirect interactions.
02

Compare the number of species in each forest community

Based on the information given in the exercise, the equatorial rainforest in eastern Africa has more than 250 tree species per hectare, while the tropical woodland in southern Africa has only 3 tree species per hectare. This indicates that there is a much higher degree of species richness in the equatorial rainforest as compared to the tropical woodland.
03

Analyze the impact of species richness on diffuse competition

In general, greater species richness leads to increased diffuse competition, as more species share similar niches and compete for the same limited resources. The high species richness in the equatorial rainforest would likely result in greater overlap in resource requirements among the tree species, leading to more intense competition for those resources.
04

Determine the forest community with the most prevalent diffuse competition

Based on the analysis above, it can be concluded that the equatorial rainforest in eastern Africa, with its high species richness, has a much higher likelihood of experiencing prevalent diffuse competition among its tree species compared to the tropical woodland in southern Africa, where tree species richness is much lower. In conclusion, diffuse competition is more likely to be the most prevalent in the equatorial rainforest in eastern Africa due to its high species richness and greater potential for species overlap in terms of resource requirements.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

In the ecologist Mary Power's work, presented in Section \(18.4,\) the top predators appear to control plant productivity by controlling the abundance of herbivores (their prey). Now suppose we were to conduct a second experiment and reduce plant productivity by using some chemical that had no direct effect on the consumer organisms. If the results show that reduced plant productivity reduces herbivore populations, in turn leading to the decline of the top predator, what type of control would this imply? How might you reconcile the findings of these two experiments?

Using Chapter 6 (Section 6.12 ) as your resource, what characteristics might enable a plant species (species 1 ) to tolerate low soil nutrient availability? How might these characteristics limit the maximum growth rates under high soil nutrient conditions? Conversely, what characteristics might enable a plant species (species 2 ) to maintain high growth rates under high soil nutrient availability? How might these characteristics limit the plant species' ability to tolerate low soil nutrient conditions? Now predict the outcome of competition between species 1 and 2 in two plant communities, one with low soil nutrients and the other with abundant nutrients. Discuss in terms of tolerance and competition.

Contrast bottom-up and top-down control in the structure of a food web.

Contrast symmetric and asymmetric competition. How does the availability of soil nutrients shift the nature of competition from symmetric to asymmetric?

Define indirect interaction in the context of food webs.
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