Question

imagine two populations of tertiary consumers living in the same community. what relationship likely exists between these two organisms? mutualism succession competition predation

Explanation:

• Mutualism: This is a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit. But two populations of tertiary consumers in the same community are more likely to compete rather than mutually benefit.
• Succession: Refers to the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. It is not a relationship between two populations.
• Competition: Tertiary consumers in the same community may compete for the same resources (e.g., secondary consumers as prey).
• Predation: One organism (predator) hunts and eats another (prey). But here we have two populations of tertiary consumers, not a predator - prey relationship.

Answer:

competition