Competition Flashcards
intraspecific competition
competition among individuals of the same species
interspecific competition
competition among individuals of different species
Leibig’s law of the minimum
law stating that a population increases until the supply of the most limiting resource prevents it from increasing further
competitive exclusion principle
two species cannot coexist indefinitely when they are both limited by the same resource
competition can be intense among distantly related species when
they consume a common resource
competition coefficients
variables that convert between the number of individuals of one species and the number of individuals of the other species
zero population growth isocline
population sizes at which a population experiences zero growth
two species may be able to coexist when
each is better at persisting at low levels of different resources
the ability to compete well may be overwhelmed by
the ability to posit in harsh abiotic conditions or disturbances
there are often trade-offs between
competitive ability and resistance to predators/herbivores
(the most competitive organisms are often the most susceptible to predation or herbivory
-predators and herbivores can reverse the outcome of competition
exploitative competition
competition in which individuals consume and drive down the abundance of a resource to a point that other individuals cannot persist
interference competition
when competitors do not immediately consume resources but defend them; considered direct competition
-aggressive interactions
-allelopathy
apparent competition
when two species have a negative effect on each other through an enemy
(increased population of one species attracts a predator, parasite, or herbivore to each both species)
allelopathy
a type of interference competition that occurs when organisms use chemicals to harm their competitors
-effective strategy for invasive plants
