
Principles of Environmental Science 6th Edition by William Cunningham, Mary Cunningham
Edition 6ISBN: 978-1121779211
Principles of Environmental Science 6th Edition by William Cunningham, Mary Cunningham
Edition 6ISBN: 978-1121779211 Exercise 15
Species Competition
In a classic experiment on competition between species for a common food source, the Russian microbiologist G. F. Gause grew populations of different species of ciliated protozoans separately and together in an artificial culture medium. He counted the number of cells of each species and plotted the total volume of each population. The organisms were Paramecium caudatum and its close relative, Paramecium aurelia. He plotted the aggregate volume of cells rather than the total number in each population because P. caudatum is much larger than P. aurelia (this size difference allowed him to distinguish between them in a mixed culture). The graphs in this box show the experimental results. As we mentioned earlier in the text, this was one of the first experimental demonstrations of the principle of competitive exclusion. After studying these graphs, answer the following questions.
Growth of two paramecium species separately and in combination.
Which of the two species is the more successful competitor in this experiment?
In a classic experiment on competition between species for a common food source, the Russian microbiologist G. F. Gause grew populations of different species of ciliated protozoans separately and together in an artificial culture medium. He counted the number of cells of each species and plotted the total volume of each population. The organisms were Paramecium caudatum and its close relative, Paramecium aurelia. He plotted the aggregate volume of cells rather than the total number in each population because P. caudatum is much larger than P. aurelia (this size difference allowed him to distinguish between them in a mixed culture). The graphs in this box show the experimental results. As we mentioned earlier in the text, this was one of the first experimental demonstrations of the principle of competitive exclusion. After studying these graphs, answer the following questions.
Growth of two paramecium species separately and in combination.
Which of the two species is the more successful competitor in this experiment?
Explanation
P. aurelia is increasing in mixed popula...
Principles of Environmental Science 6th Edition by William Cunningham, Mary Cunningham
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