The geographic distributions of wolves and coyotes often do not overlap.A study of wolves and coyotes in an area where they do overlap found that the two species minimized competition by differential use of food resources.Wolves preyed primarily on elk and a few deer, whereas coyotes preyed mostly on deer and rarely on young elk.Coyotes also scavenged abandoned wolf kills.Wolf and coyote behavior illustrates which type of competition?

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The behavior of wolves and coyotes in the study area illustrates resource partitioning, where the two species avoided direct competition by using different food resources - wolves primarily preyed on elk while coyotes mostly fed on deer and scavenged abandoned wolf kills. This is a form of niche differentiation, where the species' ecological roles differed in response to competition. Competitive exclusion (A) would occur if one species completely eliminated the other through competition, while character displacement (B) refers to evolutionary divergence in traits that reduce competition between similar species. Intraspecific competition (C) refers to competition within the same species, and interference competition (E) involves direct aggression or territorial behavior to exclude competitors.

The Geographic Distributions of Wolves and Coyotes Often Do Not