BRAINCAKEInterspecific Competition
Interspecific competition is competition between individuals of different species for the same limiting resource, for example red and grey squirrels competing for seeds and nuts, or different plants competing for light.
Its effects depend on how much the species' needs overlap. Each species has a niche: its role in the ecosystem, including all the conditions and resources it needs. The competitive exclusion principle states that two species cannot occupy exactly the same niche in the same habitat for long. The better competitor will eventually out-compete the other, which dies out locally or moves away.
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More in The Nature of Ecosystems
- Density Dependent Factors
- Density Independent Factors
- Competition
- Intraspecific Competition
- Species Abundance
- Species Distribution
- Ecological Techniques
- Quadrats
All 39 lessons in The Nature of Ecosystems · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics