If an overlap develops between the ranges of two closely related species, and if the species occupy the same niche in the zone of overlap, what will probably happen in the zone of overlap?
1 Answer
Competition will occur between the two species. One will thrive, while the other will eventually die out due to natural selection.
Explanation:
Recall that a niche is the ecological role that is held by an organism--it includes the specific set of biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) resources that the organism uses in its environment. According to the competitive exclusion principle, no two species can occupy the same niche.
If two species did occupy the same niche, competition would ensue. One of the species might have an advantage that would allow them to obtain their resources more efficiently than the other species. This species would then be able survive and reproduce, while the other species would not be able to compete and would eventually die off.
Source: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/community-ecosystem-ecology/a/niches-competition
