ANT 301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Folivore, Phylogenetics, Lactation
Document Summary
Niche axes: diet, predators, locomotion, activity pattern, ranging pattern, etc, how you avoid competing directly with other species. Two species that occupy the same niche cannot coexist over time: one species will eventually outcompete the other, two different species cannot coexist indefinitely off limited resources, ex. If species are to coexist in the same habitat, they must differ in their niche in some way to avoid competition. Corollaries: often strongest competitors are your closet phyletic relatives, the most intense competition for resources is usually intraspecific (from members of your own species) Niches can be overlapping when food is abundant, but tend to become discrete in times of food scarcity. Key niche parameter: diet: what an animal eats and can eat has a major impact on behavior, esp. social behavior. Fundamental concept: females need more food than similar-sized males due to the energetic costs of pregnancy and lactation.
