Q5. In 1917, biologist A. G. Tansley performed a famous series of studies on two
ID: 89310 • Letter: Q
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Q5. In 1917, biologist A. G. Tansley performed a famous series of studies on two species of bedstraw, a plant that was used to stuff beds. In nature, heath bedstraw is confined to acidic soils, while slender bedstraw lives on calcareous soils. From one set of studies, Tansley knew that each species could exist on both types of soils. This led him to wonder if competition between the two species was responsible for their non-overlapping distributions. To answer this question, which of the following is the best approach? O A transplantation experiment: Remove all heath bedstraw individuals from a small area and replace them with an equal number of slender bedstraw individuals. O An exclusion experiment: Remove and exclude all heath bedstraw individuals from a small area in the middle of its habitat and see if slender bedstraw moves in. An exclusion experiment. Remove and exclude all heath bedstraw individuals from a large area adjoining slender bedstraw habitat and see if slender bedstraw moves in.Explanation / Answer
Q5. This experimental results talks about the bedstraw species, the Heath and Slender one. Both can live in acidic soils as well as in calcium rich soils. So the scientific experiment has to be performed based on the level of competition to follow.
Option a) this talks about a transplantation experiment which we perform by replacing one or two individuals from their habitat, effect of environment by moving two species from their native environments into a common environment. This could determine the genetic component to differences in populations. So this experiment can be considered here, doing so we can prove that there is a genetic level difference that helps them better adopt to one environment than the other. This would be the useful scenario.
b) Exclusion experiments are dependent on Gause's Law, this is based on the hypothesis that competitors advantage over each other in a confined environment, which leads to extinction of the second one from the environment. This experiment could serve in our current situation.
Now, considering this option of taking just few heath bedstraw from the middle and let the other grows in, this might not work as native bedstraw present in this soil type would, and we have not introduced the slender type here.
c) This option is seems to be a good one where we find the larger population to be excluded to see the other populations effect on the same place with difference in soil type. This removal and exclusion experiment may not work better. This different ecological niches would make the slender bedstraw species to be opportunistic, they will grow in acidic soil freely without having any competition from other species at all.
Q5. Based on the experiment above and the conclusions we make be sure about the adaptive nature of the species type of A, B and C. Here the table shows that the absence of A, B and C equally from their habitat have given others the room to grow.
A and B both the species looking very much adaptive in all the three intertidal zones. While C looks just the opposite of them, as C is present minimally in middle zone and absent in upper zone.
The correct option will be species C may lack the adaptations necessary to survive in the upper and middle intertidal zones.
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