Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Competition

Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. Even if two competing individuals or populations do not interact directly, the overall fitness of both competitors is lowered as a result of not having full access to the limited resource.Intraspecific competition, which occurs between individuals of the same species, serves as a natural mechanism for regulating population size. Too much...

Optimal Foraging

Optimal Foraging

How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...

Inclusive Fitness

Inclusive Fitness

Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

Methods of Medium Optimization

Methods of Medium Optimization

Optimizing growth media enhances microbial proliferation and maximizes product yield. Statistical experimental design methodologies provide structured and reproducible approaches, offering progressively higher levels of robustness and efficiency.The One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) MethodThe One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) method involves adjusting a single variable while keeping all others constant. However, it cannot detect interactions between variables, often leading to suboptimal outcomes when...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A New Paradigm for Pandemic Preparedness.

Current epidemiology reports·2024

Same author

Valuing bioeconomic impacts of regulation on nutrient loads mediated by invasive mussels in Lake Michigan.

Journal of environmental management·2023

Same author

Physical distancing versus testing with self-isolation for controlling an emerging epidemic.

Scientific reports·2023

Same author

Challenges of integrating economics into epidemiological analysis of and policy responses to emerging infectious diseases.

Epidemics·2022

Same author

Correction to: Investing to Both Prevent and Prepare for COVID-XX.

EcoHealth·2022

Same author

Investing to Both Prevent and Prepare for COVID-XX.

EcoHealth·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Plant competition and exclusion with optimizing individuals.

David Finnoff¹, John Tschirhart

¹Department 3985, University of Wyoming, 162 Ross Hall, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. finnoff@uwyo.edu

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|August 15, 2009

Summary

This study models plant competition at the individual level, revealing how plants optimize biomass for reproduction. It provides behavioral underpinnings for species-level competition theories.

More Related Videos

Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm

Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm

Published on: December 9, 2012

At-Risk Butterfly Captive Propagation Programs to Enhance Life History Knowledge and Effective Ex Situ Conservation Techniques

At-Risk Butterfly Captive Propagation Programs to Enhance Life History Knowledge and Effective Ex Situ Conservation Techniques

Published on: February 11, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Experimental Protocol for Manipulating Plant-induced Soil Heterogeneity

Published on: March 13, 2014

Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm

Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm

Published on: December 9, 2012

At-Risk Butterfly Captive Propagation Programs to Enhance Life History Knowledge and Effective Ex Situ Conservation Techniques

At-Risk Butterfly Captive Propagation Programs to Enhance Life History Knowledge and Effective Ex Situ Conservation Techniques

Published on: February 11, 2020

Area of Science:

Ecology
Plant Biology
Mathematical Modeling

Background:

Traditional plant competition models focus on inter-species interactions.
Realistic competition occurs at the individual plant level.

Purpose of the Study:

To model individual plant competition for light, optimizing biomass for reproduction.
To provide behavioral underpinnings for species-level competition theories.

Main Methods:

Individual plants modeled as optimally choosing biomass to maximize net energy for reproduction.
Competition for light modeled via leaf area index and self-shading.
Simultaneous maximization by all plants determines equilibrium biomasses.
Net energies update plant densities between periods, influencing subsequent equilibria.

Main Results:

A steady state is reached when net energies allow for population replacement.
Four key predictions of resource-ratio theory are derived.
Model predictions diverge when individual plant parameters differ across species.
Optimization framework predicts impacts of specific leaf areas and resource stress on biomass and leaf area indices.

Conclusions:

Individual-based modeling offers a more realistic approach to plant competition.
The optimization framework provides a foundation for understanding species-level competition dynamics.
Plant traits like specific leaf area and responses to resource stress significantly influence competition outcomes.