Competiton

Question 1

What is interspecific competition?

Answer 1

• it is when organisms of different species compete with each other
• can mean that the resources available to both populations are reduced so both populations are limited by a lower amount of food
- they will have less energy for growth and reproduction
- population sizes will be lower for both species
• can also affect the distribution of species
- if two species are competing but one is better adapted to its surroundings than the other, the less well adapted species is likely to be outcompeted - won’t be able to exist alongside the better adapted species
• could lead to extinction of one species

Question 2

What is intraspecific competition?

Answer 2

• is it when organisms of the same species compete with each other
• the population of a species increases when resources are plentiful
- as the population increases there’ll be more organisms competing for the same amount of space and food
• eventually resources such as food and space become limiting and the population begins to decline
- individuals best adapted to obtaining food will survive and reproduce
- those not so well adapted will die or fail to reproduce
• a smaller population then means that there’s less competition for space and food which is better for growth and reproduction
- so population starts to grow again