Competition in Ecology

A collection of vocabulary terms and definitions related to competition in ecology.

Competition

An interaction where two or more species or individuals vie for the same resources.

Interspecific competition

Competition that occurs between different species.

Intraspecific competition

Competition that occurs among individuals of the same species.

Exploitation competition

A form of competition where two species compete indirectly by consuming the same limiting resource.

Interference competition

A form of competition where two species compete directly by preventing each other from accessing a limiting resource.

Niche

An n-dimensional space representing all the physical and biotic conditions necessary for a species to exist.

Competitive exclusion principle

The principle stating that no two species can coexist if their niches are exactly the same; one will outcompete the other.

Realized niche

The actual niche that a species occupies after accounting for competition and other interactions.

Lotka-Volterra competition equation

A mathematical model that describes how interspecific competition influences the population dynamics of multiple species.

Carrying capacity (K)

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain for a species.

Apparent competition

A situation where two species appear to compete but are actually affected by a third factor, such as a predator.

Commensalism

An interaction where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Central place forager

A species that forages from a central location and returns to it after foraging.