Answer: Two prey species are negatively affected by a shared predator -- increasing one prey species benefits the predator, which then preys more on the other.
- A Two species directly competing with one another for exactly the same limited resource, a direct resource-competition scenario rather than one mediated indirectly through a shared predator
- B Two prey species are negatively affected by a shared predator -- increasing one prey species benefits the predator, which then preys more on the other
- C Two species happening to occupy precisely the same ecological niche in a habitat, a niche-overlap scenario distinct from the shared-predator mechanism this term actually describes
- D Multiple parasite species competing directly with one another for the same host, a parasite-on-parasite competition scenario rather than a predator-mediated prey interaction
Correct answer: B. Two prey species are negatively affected by a shared predator -- increasing one prey species benefits the predator, which then preys more on the other
Explanation: Apparent competition: indirect negative interaction between prey species mediated by a shared predator. Not true competition, but has same effect on prey populations.
Energy pyramid showing a simple food chain (producer to herbivore to carnivore) with energy decreasing roughly tenfold at each trophic level.
Concept context
Ecosystems, food chains, energy flow, nutrient cycles, biodiversity, and conservation.