competition

• what type of limiting factor is competition?

  biotic factor
• what are the two main types of competition?

  • intraspecific - competition within a species for the same resource
  • interspecific - competition between different species for the same resource
• what does it mean when a species has been outcompeted?

  • happens during interspecific competition- when organisms of different species compete with each other
  • one species is better adapted than the other in the same environmental conditions
  • the better species will be better at competing for eg -food and will outcompete the other species- the other species is said to be outcompeted (competitive exclusion)- declines in number until it can no longer exist alongside the better adapted species
• what is the competitive exclusion principle?

  two species compete for the same resources- the one that uses the resources more effectively will ultimately eliminate the other
• how can the effects of intraspecific competition be represented graphically?

  • stage 1- when a resource is plentiful and all organisms have enough of it to survive on. results in an increase in population size
  • stage 2- now more individuals sharing the same resources. Resources are now limited as there is not enough for all organisms in the population to survive on- population decreases
  • stage 3- less competition exists as there is a reduction in population size. Therefore more organisms survive and reproduce and population growth increases again
  • repeat