The observation that members of a population are uniformly distributed suggests that a. resources are distributed unevenly. b. the members of the population are competing for access to a resource. c.the members of the population are neither attracted to nor repelled by one another. d. the density of the population is low.

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the key term: 'uniformly distributed' means that individuals in the population are spaced evenly throughout their habitat.
2. Analyze each option in relation to the key term: a. If resources were distributed unevenly, individuals would likely cluster where resources are abundant, leading to a clumped distribution, not a uniform one.
3. Continue analyzing: b. Uniform distribution often occurs when competition is intense, as individuals maintain a certain territory to ensure access to sufficient resources.
4. Evaluate remaining options: c. This option might seem plausible, but uniform distribution typically involves some level of interaction (like competition), rather than a complete lack of interaction.
5. Conclude with the correct option: b. The most likely reason for a uniform distribution is that members of the population are competing for access to resources, maintaining an even distance from each other to maximize resource availability.

Video transcript

Hi everyone. Let's look at our next problem. When individuals of a population compete for a resource, what form of dispersion is observed. So let's recall from our content videos, when we think about dispersion, when it comes to a population, we look at how are the individuals um distributed over a given area? So are they grouped in close groups with big distance of space between them spread out evenly or any other form? So we're looking at a situation where the individuals are competing for a given resource. So let's look at our choice options and when we look them over, we notice that we do have a choice D none of the above. So remaining open to the idea that there might be no correct answers here. Choice A says random dispersion. Well, random would involve no pattern whatsoever. Um But we're looking at individuals competing for a resource. So we would expect to see some sort of pattern influence by the fact that these individuals have to compete together for a limited resource. So if the individuals are grouped too close together, they're gonna run out of resource in that given area, there would be an advantage to spreading out over space. So random dispersion is not correct because that would imply that there is no influence whatsoever um affecting how the individuals would spread over a given area. Whereas competition for a resource which definitely affect how they spread out. So. Choice A is not correct. Choice B says clumped dispersion. So in clumped we'd imagine like a bunch of people all close together here and then a big space and then another group over here. But again, if we're competing for a given resource, we wouldn't expect that because then individuals in this clump would have a shortage, whereas all this empty space, we'd have the ample amount of that resource. So this is not going to be the best way for those individuals to spread out. So we would not expect to see choice be clumped this version, then Choice C. We have regular dispersion. Well, regular dispersion is going to imply that our individuals are sort of evenly spaced out over our area. And if we're competing for a limited resource, this makes the most sense because it distributes the resource availability evenly among all the individuals. So choice see regular dispersion is going to be our correct answer when we see individuals competing for a resource in a given area. So since we do have a correct answer, choice, D None of the above. Also not correct. So see you in the next video