Which of the following groups would be most likely to exhibit uniform dispersion?

A) red squirrels, who actively defend territories

B) cattails, which grow primarily at edges of lakes and streams

C) dwarf mistletoes, which parasitize particular species of forest tree

D) moths in a city at night

E) lake trout, which seek out deep water

A) red squirrels, who actively defend territories

Explanation:

Uniform dispersion occurs when individuals of a population or a group of organisms are evenly spaced throughout a territory. This is where individuals or organisms guard an area or territory to prevent other individuals or organisms to come closer than a certain area.

Organisms are equally spaced to maintain minimum distance and prevent any form of agonistic interactions.

The group that would be most likely to exhibit uniform dispersion are the red squirrels, who actively defend territories.

C) dwarf mistletoes, which parasitize particular species of forest tree

Explanation:

Uniform dispersion is observed in plant species that inhibit the growth of nearby individuals. For example, the sage plant, salvia leucophylla, secretes toxins, a phenomenon called negative allelopathy. Animals that maintain defined territories, such as nesting penguins, also exhibit uniform dispersion.

In lodgepole pine stands, spread of dwarf mistletoe into young trees is more extensive from single, isolated residual trees than from relatively uniform, dense, even-aged stands of residual trees.