BIO 263 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Competitive Exclusion Principle, Intraspecific Competition, Interspecific Competition
Document Summary
Commensalism has a + or 0 effect on fitness for the different species. An example is how ants stir up insects while hunting. Ant birds lag along and benefit from this by flying above the ants and then eat the insects that are trying to get away from the ants. Competition hurts the fitness of one individual more than how much it hurts the fitness of the other individual. Example is lions fighting over an injured buffalo to where the prey. Occurs when the niches of the species overlap in a way. Niche is an area where they occur in different areas and the resources they require. Species with the exact same niche cannot coexist in the long term only in the short term. Competition when niches do not completely overlap. Can lead to the weaker competitor having a smaller niche range. Realized niche: narrower range used after losing the rest of niche to a competitor.
