Question

The combination of conditions that a species will occupy in the absence of competitors is:
A. The fundamental niche
B. The realised niche
C. Competitive exclusion
D. Mimicry

Answer 1

Hint: Competition is most commonly thought of as the interaction of individuals that compete for a common resource that is in limited supply.

Complete step by step solution:
More broadly, competition can be described as the direct or indirect contact of organisms that results in a change in fitness when the organisms share a resource. The term "niche" in ecology refers to the function an organism performs within a community. The physical and environmental requirements (such as temperature or topography) and interactions with other species that a species must tolerate make up its niche (like predation or competition).
Competitive exclusion-The red squirrels displacing the gray squirrels in Britain is another instance of competitive exclusion in action. Due to diseases, competitive exclusion, and the elimination of hazelnuts, there were fewer red squirrels. Red squirrels were eventually displaced by gray squirrels, who quickly adjusted to their surroundings.
Realized niche refers to the conditions that a particular animal (population, species) actually uses, after taking into consideration interactions with other species (predation, particularly competition). The total collection of circumstances that allow an animal (population, species) to survive and reproduce itself is referred to as its fundamental niche. Realized niche refers to the conditions that a particular animal (population, species) actually uses, after taking into consideration interactions with other species (predation, particularly competition).
So, option (A) is correct.

Note:
Don’t get confused between habitat and niche- an organism's home is known as its habitat, and its function in its environment is known as its niche. While niche focuses on how the creature affects the environment, habitat focuses on how the environment impacts the organism.