Question

Connel’s field experiment on the rocky seacoast of Scotland, where larger Barnacle balanus dominates the intertidal area and removes the smaller Barnacle chthamalus. This happened due to
(a) Predation
(b) Competition
(c) Parasitism
(d) Mutualism

Answer 1

In Connel’s field experiment, one species is eliminating the presence of another in a particular geographical area. Here, the rocky intertidal is a space-limited system. This experiment has been performed between two species of barnacles, Balanus balanoides and Chthamalus stellatus.

Complete answer:
Connel’s field experiment on the rocky seacoast of Scotland, where the larger Barnacle Balanus dominates the intertidal area and removes the smaller Barnacle chthamalus. This happened due to Competition. Competition is the process in which the fitness of one species is significantly lowered in the presence of another species. It happens because the feeding efficiency of one species gets reduced due to the interfering and inhibitory presence of the other species.

Populations residing in a particular geographical area interact with each other. These population interactions can be of the following type -

Mutualism - Interaction in which both the species are benefitted, Lichens, and photosynthetic algae are examples of mutualistic relationships.

Predation - In this interaction, one species is benefitted while the other faces loss. Examples are prickly pear cactus and moths.

Competition - When both the species face loss. Abingdon tortoise and goats on Galapagos island are examples.

Parasitism- Similar to predation, both parasites and hosts tend to co-evolve. An example is a human liver fluke.

Commensalism - In this interaction one species is benefited, while the other is unaffected. The example includes barnacles growing on the back of a huge whale.

Amensalism - One species faces loss while another is unaffected, like Goby fishes, tree frogs, etc.

So, the correct answer is ‘competition’.

Notes:
-Population interactions are natural biological control methods.
-The defined conditions which an organism can tolerate, the resources it utilizes, and the role it plays in the ecosystem, define the organism's niche.
-Adaption is an attribute of the organism that enables it to survive and reproduce in its habitat.