Interspecific Competition and Community Structure

Abstract

Much of our previous discussion has relied, whether implicitly or explicitly, on considerations of ecological competition. In the last chapter particularly, such consideration became more and more explicit as we introduced ideas of both inter- and intraspecific competition and their role in shaping the niche, niche position, niche breadth and degree of permissible overlap. Many of these principles of ecological competition are self-explanatory — almost second nature — which is why it has been possible to use them so far without stopping to consider them in real detail. However, having now established something of the context, we must now turn to a more rigorous examination of competition in its own right, as one of the major bio tic factors which link organisms into a community.