These Shorebirds Illustrate Niche Partitioning; Each Species Has a Specialized

Multiple Choice

These shorebirds illustrate niche partitioning; each species has a specialized bill that permits it to feed in ways that reduce competition with other shorebirds living in the community.How might a biologist explain niche partitioning?

A) Birds with compatible adaptations eventually find one another and establish mature communities.
B) By sharing a resource, each species is less abundant than if it were alone; natural selection will eventually produce a shorebird that can exploit the entire food resource.
C) These birds are coevolving; the adaptations each displays represent the response to directional selection pressure created by their competitors.
D) Highly diverse communities are more stable than those with low diversity; given enough time, the evolution of adaptations that reduce competition would be expected.