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Competition will always occurs because of the potential for a species to increase in number.
Competition will always occurs because of the potential for a species to increase in number.
- Organisms, through their instinctive nature, reproduce as many times as possible. For many organisms its called breeding season, and it occurs in a regular cycle.
- In order for a population to stay at consistent number, every two organisms (male and female) must replace themselves with two offspring during their lifetime. BUT, most organisms will produce many more than two offspring, thus the potential for a population to increase. So, what stops a population from increasing infinitely?... LIMITED RESOURCES.
- An environment only has so many resources. Therefore, population growth is limited by the environment. If available resources increase, a larger population size can be supported. If available resources suddenly decrease, the organisms less suited for competition will not survive.
Watch this video to see how the overproduction of offspring leads to competition in populations
Watch this video to see how the overproduction of offspring leads to competition in populations
Look at the graph above.
- Initially, the population experienced rapid growth. This is because every individual was having many offspring, and because there were enough resources, most of the offspring survived.
- BUT, once the population reached the capacity of the ecosystem, not everybody could survive. Only the best competitors for the resources available are able to survive.
- A population above the carrying capacity cannot be supported. A population above the carrying capacity is in an environment with limited resources. Individuals face extreme competition for survival.
- The "up, down, up, down... etc." pattern in the population size at the carrying capacity over time can be described as a cycle of:
- Overproduction during breeding season
- Population surpasses the carrying capacity
- Intense competition for limited resources, not all organisms can be supported, some organisms die
- Population decreases
- Overproduction during breeding season
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