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Competition is an interaction between organisms or species in which both require one or more resources that are in limited supply (such as food, water, or territory). [1] Competition lowers the fitness of both organisms involved since the presence of one of the organisms always reduces the amount of the resource available to the other. [2]
Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of different species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living space). This can be contrasted with mutualism, a type of symbiosis. Competition between members of the same species is called intraspecific competition.
Competition among plants for light is size-asymmetric because of the directionality of its supply. [2] Higher leaves shade lower leaves but not vice versa. Competition for nutrients appears to be relatively size-symmetric, [9] although it has been hypothesized that a patchy distribution of nutrients in the soil may lead to size asymmetry in competition among roots.
Some examples of non-trophic interactions are habitat modification, mutualism and competition for space. It has been suggested recently that non-trophic interactions can indirectly affect food web topology and trophic dynamics by affecting the species in the network and the strength of trophic links.
An example of direct competition. Intraspecific competition is an interaction in population ecology , whereby members of the same species compete for limited resources. This leads to a reduction in fitness for both individuals, but the more fit individual survives and is able to reproduce. [ 1 ]
In ecology, contest competition refers to a situation where available resources, such as food and mates, are utilized only by one or a few individuals, thus preventing development or reproduction of other individuals. It refers to a hypothetical situation in which several individuals stage a contest for which one eventually emerges victorious.
[2] [3] [4] Second, interspecific competition results in one species driving a competitor to extinction and becoming dominant in the ecosystem. [2] [3] [4] Third, moderate ecological scale disturbances prevent interspecific competition. [2] [3] [4] The hypothesis is ambiguous with its definitions of the terms "intermediate" and "disturbance".
The best-known example is the so-called "paradox of the plankton". [6] All plankton species live on a very limited number of resources, primarily solar energy and minerals dissolved in the water. According to the competitive exclusion principle, only a small number of plankton species should be able to coexist on these resources.