COMPETITION

THE WORD COMPETITION DENOTES STRIVING FOR THE SAME THING. AT THE ECOLOGICAL  LEVEL IT HOLDS GREAT RELEVANCE WHEN THE THING WHICH TWO ORGANISMS ARE STRIVING FOR IS NOT EASILY AVAILABLE. EVEN IF AVAILABLE, IT IS ONLY IN SMALL NUMBERS. IF POPULATION CONSISTS OF ONLY A FEW SCATTERED INDIVIDUALS COMPETITION WILL NOT BE A FACTOR OF ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE.

THE RESULT OF COMPETITION IS THAT BOTH PARTIES  COMPETING WILL BE HAMPERED IN SOME MANNER OR THE OTHER. AT THE POPULATION LEVEL, OR THE DESTINY OR RATE OF POPULATION, ENERGY  FLOW WILL BE REDUCED OR HELD IN CHECK BY THE COMPETITIVE ACTION. COMPETITION ALSO OCCURS WHEN TWO ORGANISMS STRIVE FOR SOMETHING THAT IS NOT IN SHORT  SUPPLY, YET THEY INTERFERE WITH EACH OTHER, OR THEY MIGHT EVEN EAT EACH OTHER. MANY ECOLOGISTS PREFER NOT TO  INCLUDE  THIS ASPECT UNDER COMPETITION.

PLANT POPULATION AS WELL AS ANIMAL POPULATION MAY REGULATE THEMSELVES TO AVOID OVER-CROWDING. DESERT SHRUBS ARE WIDELY SPACED, ALMOST UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED; THIS PATTERN EXPLAINS THE COMPETITION OF SCARCITY OF WATER.HOWEVER, EVOLUTION OF SELF REGULATION OF POPULATION HAS OCCURRED IN SOME SPECIES IN THAT SEVERE COMPETITION FOR WATER IS AVOIDED BY THE PRODUCTION OF LEAF OR ROOT HORMONES THAT INHIBIT DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.