Competition & Evolution

Competition occurs when organisms of the

same or different species attempt to use an
ecological resource in the same place at the same
time. The term resource refers to any necessity of
life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space.
In a forest, for example, broad-leaved trees such
as oak or hickory may compete for sunlight by
growing tall, spreading out their leaves, and
blocking out the sunlight for shorter trees.
Similarly, two species of lizards in a desert might
compete by attempting to eat the same type of
insect.

Direct competition in nature often results

in a winner and a loser—with the losing organism
Figure 4-5 Each of these warbler species has a
failing to survive. A fundamental rule in ecology, the
different niche in its spruce tree habitat. By feeding in
competitive exclusion principle, states that no two different areas of the tree, the birds avoid competing
species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat with one another for food.
at the same time. A niche is the role and position a
species has in its environment: how it meets its needs for food and shelter, how it survives, and how it
reproduces. A species niche includes all of its interactions with the biotic and abiotic factors of its
environment. Look again at the distribution of the warblers in figure 4-5. Can you see how this
distribution avoids direct competition among the different warbler species?

Competition among members of the same species is a

density dependent limiting factor, which are factors like food,
predation, disease, and migration whose effects on the size of a
population change with population density or size. The more
individuals living in an area, the sooner they use up available
resources. Likewise, the fewer the number of individuals in an
area, the more resources are available to them and the less they
must compete with one another. This competition between
members of the same species for available resources is called
intraspecific competition.
Figure 4-6 Intraspecific competition between
two Imperial shags fighting for the same piece Figure 4-7 Interspecific competition between a
of tussac grass. squirrel and four birds fighting for the same nut.

Competition can also occur between members of different

species. This type of competition is a major force behind
evolutionary change. When two species compete for the same
resources, both species are under pressure to change in ways that
decrease their competition. Over time, the species may evolve to
occupy separate niches. That is because no two species can occupy
the same niche in the same place at the same time. This
competition between members of different species for available
resources is called interspecific competition.

Evolution is when a species changes over time and over long

periods of time; competition may lead to evolutionary changes.
This happens when a species that is pushed to the limits of their
 environment evolves to become better adapted to the new conditions. As a result, they may eventually
become a new species. In other words, increased competition between organisms means that organisms
have to search harder for food. If the food source becomes harder to get, then the species will have to
adapt to the new environment. If the species is successful, then this can cause evolution. If the species is
unsuccessful, then the species can go extinct.

Charles Darwin, while traveling on the Beagle, realized that high birth rates and a shortage of
life’s basic needs would eventually force organisms into a competition for resources. The struggle for
existence means that members of each species compete regularly to obtain food, living space, and other
necessities of life. In this struggle, the predators that are faster or have a particular way of ensnaring
other organisms can catch more prey. The prey that are faster, better camouflaged, or better protected
can avoid being caught. This struggle for existence is central to Darwin’s theory of evolution.

A key factor in the struggle for existence, Darwin observed, was

how well suited an organism is to its environment. Darwin called the
ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific
environment fitness. Darwin proposed that fitness is the result of
adaptations. An adaptation is any inherited characteristic that increases
an organism’s chance of survival. Successful adaptations, Darwin
concluded, enable organisms to become better suited to their environment
and thus better able to survive and reproduce. Adaptations can be
anatomical or structural characteristics, such as a porcupine’s sharp quill.
Adaptations also include an organism’s physiological processes or
functions, such as the way in which a plant performs photosynthesis.
More complex features, such as behavior in which some animals live and
hunt in groups can also be adaptations.

The concept of fitness, Darwin argued, was central to the process of

Figure 4-8 Each of these babies has its
own set of inherited traits that affects its
survival. A stronger bird may take food
form a weaker sibling. A faster bird may
escape predators more easily. Only those
birds that survive and reproduce have the
chance to pass their traits to the next
generation.
evolution by natural selection. Generation after generation, individuals
compete to survive and produce offspring. The baby birds in Figure 4-8,
for example, compete for food and space while in the nest. Because each
individual differs from other members of its species, each has unique
advantages and disadvantages. Individuals with characteristics that are
not well suited to their environment—that is, with low levels of fitness—
either die or leave few offspring. Individuals that are better suited to
their environment—that is, with adaptations that enable fitness—survive
and reproduce most successfully. Darwin called this process survival of
the fittest.

Adapted from:
Miller, Kenneth R., and Joseph S. Levine. "What Shapes an Ecosystem?" Biology. Boston, MA.: Pearson,
2007. N. 91. Print.