Which statement describes how species can coexist by using resources in different ways?

• A. Two species occupy the same niche
• B. Niche differentiation leads to mutualism
• C. Species use resources in different ways to coexist
• D. One species drives the other to extinction

Answer: (C)

Different species can live together by using different resources or using the same resources in different ways, reducing direct competition. This idea is about resource partitioning: each species specializes in a subset of the available resources or exploits them at different times or in different ways, allowing them to coexist in the same area. That’s why the statement that species use resources in different ways to coexist best captures how species can share a habitat.

If two species occupied exactly the same niche, they would compete intensely and one would tend to outcompete the other, so coexistence wouldn’t be stable. Niche differentiation describes reducing competition, not creating mutualism, so it isn’t about mutual beneficial interactions by itself. And while one species might drive another to extinction under strong competition, that describes a possible outcome rather than the mechanism of coexistence.