BIOLOGY 2F03 Chapter 13: Chapter 13.docx
12 Mar 2014
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Chapter 13 competition: forms of competition. Resource limitation: a limited supply of suitable space. Interspecific competition: competition between individuals of other species: can be asymmetric, most of the competition in a forest occurs underground, at the roots. Exploitative competition: competition in which individuals acquire access to resources before others do: evidence of competition in natural. Field and mesocosm studies show that resource limitations and competition are widespread. As a stand of plants grow, more and more of the biomass is composed of fewer and fewer individuals (self-thinning) Approximately for every unit of total plant biomass there is a two unit decrease in population density. Competition for better food resources have been observed in herbivorous insects. Competition can occur in natural settings, with potentially strong consequences for competing individuals. Competition is an important force in the lives of many organisms in natural systems, but is not always present. Grime argues that plant competition is highest when there are many resources.
