A survey of morphological diversity among three weasel species in Minnesota showed some interesting patterns in skull size,with the length of skulls ranging from 25 to 55 mm and little to no overlap between species.The assumption in the study was that skull size is related to the size of prey a weasel can handle (primarily small rodents).This appears to be a good example of________________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a good example of niche differentiation, as the three weasel species are likely evolving to specialize on different sizes of prey in order to avoid competition with each other. The lack of overlap in skull size suggests that each species has carved out a different niche in terms of the size of prey it can handle.

A Survey of Morphological Diversity Among Three Weasel Species in Minnesota