Question:

Connell's elegant field experiments on the rocky seacoast of Scotland, found that larger barnacles Balanus dominated the intertidal area and removed the smaller barnacles Chathamalus. This happened due to :

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Balanus excluded Chthamalus from shared space, which is competition (competitive exclusion).
Updated On: Oct 22, 2026
  • Parasitism
  • Predation
  • Mutualism
  • Competition
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Recall the experiment:
Connell studied two barnacle species on the rocky coast of Scotland.
Balanus lived in the lower intertidal zone and Chthamalus in the upper zone.

Step 2: Find the interaction:
Balanus excluded the smaller Chthamalus from the common area where both could live.
Both use the same space and resources, and one species wins.
This is interspecific competition, or competitive exclusion.

Step 3: Check the wrong options:
Parasitism needs one organism living on another and harming it.
Predation needs one organism eating another, but Balanus did not eat Chthamalus.
Mutualism helps both species, but here one species was removed.

Final Answer:
The cause was competition, option (D). \[ \boxed{\text{Competition}} \]
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