Competition

• Ecology


  The study of organisms and the environment they live in, and how the two interact
• Terms to understand ecology

  • Habitat
  • Population
  • Community
  • Abiotic factors
  • Biotic factors
  • Ecosystem
• Habitat


  The place where an organism lives
• Population


  All the organisms of one species living in a habitat
• Community


  The populations of different species living in a habitat
• Abiotic factors


  Non-living factors of the environment, e.g. temperature
• Biotic factors


  Living factors of the environment, e.g. food
• Ecosystem


  The interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment
• Organisms compete with other species (and members of their own species) for the same resources
• Plants need light and space, as well as water and mineral ions (nutrients) from the soil
• Animals need space (territory), food, water and mates
• Interdependence


  In a community, each species depends on other species for things such as food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal
• Any major change in the ecosystem (such as one species being removed) can have far-reaching effects
• Stonefly larvae are particularly sensitive to pollution
• Effect of loss of stonefly larvae

  1. Less competition for algae

  2. More likely to be eaten by predators

  3. Less food for water spider

  4. Less food for stickleback
• Stable communities


  Communities where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that the population sizes are roughly constant
• Stable communities


  • Tropical rainforests
  • Ancient oak woodlands