Do all animals fight in their populations? Apparently...It’s a struggle, a fight, two entities opposing each other for a desired outcome. We see the forces of competition at work in our everyday lives- feuding political parties, commercial product markets, rivaling athletics. Competition happens when two parties want the same thing, but there isn’t enough of it to go around…so they compete for it. How did this behavior get ingrained in all of us? Some days it seems like a fight to get on the freeway, to get the right meal you ordered...I'm sure some of you know how fun it is to start a fight, just to get something to happen... How in the world could this behavior keep a population in balance? Doesn't it seem ridiculous? Organisms compete for the resources they need to survive- air, water, food, and space. In areas where there is alot, organisms live in comfortably together, and in areas where resources are abundant, the ecosystem boasts high species richness (diversity). Animals and plants that have specific resources they need, like cavity-nesting birds, plants with ph-specific soil, or animals with certain feeding behaviors, have a more difficult time competing. These resources can be limiting factors for some organisms and where they live, and competition for them can be fierce. Defensive and aggressive behavior happens when the resources the animal needs or wants is taken over by another animal, either the same species or a different species. Have you ever tried to take a bone from a dog? Hah! Try that sometime, but you better wear a glove... Competition isn’t just a phenomenon in the animal world; plants compete with each other too. They need adequate sunlight, soil nutrients, and fresh water to survive. Though they don't move, they still have ways of fighting each other. Over time plants have evolved ingenious ways of grabbing sunlight, attracting pollinators, and getting fresh water. They may take an offensive approach, or a defensive approach, making adaptations to increase their chances of survival and reproduction. For example, when sunlight is the limiting factor, some forest trees grow rapidly to tower over their competitors and absorb the most sunlight, others channel their energy into producing many seeds and attempting to spread them so that they increase the chances of their offspring landing in a well-lit area. Plants have developed all kinds of competitive strategies from storing nutrients to becoming parasites to developing disease resistance. Oh my! I love these squirting seed plants!!
Competition does regulate a population. The organisms that fight either win, lose, move or die. Their behaviors actually change and they adapt to the situation so they can survive. Nature is amazing this way. Dr. Suess said it best: And NUH is the letter I use to spell Nutches, Who live in small caves, known as Niches, for hutches. These Nutches have troubles, the biggest of which is The fact there are many more Nutches than Niches. Each Nutch in a Nich knows that some other Nutch Would like to move into his Nich very much. So each Nutch in a Nich has to watch that small Nich Or Nutches who haven’t got Niches will snitch. Dr. Seuss – On Beyond Zebra (1955)
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |