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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.

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...

Production Efficiency

Production Efficiency

Net production efficiency (NPE) is the efficiency at which organisms assimilate energy into biomass for the next trophic level. Due to low metabolic rates and less energy spent on thermoregulatory processes, the NPE of ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) is 10 times higher than endotherms (warm-blooded animals).

Ecological Niches

Ecological Niches

All organisms have a position within an ecosystem. The complete set of living and nonliving factors—including food resources, climate, and terrain—that define the position of a given organism are collectively referred to as the organism’s ecological niche.

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession

Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...

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Related Experiment Video

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A CO2 Concentration Gradient Facility for Testing CO2 Enrichment and Soil Effects on Grassland Ecosystem Function

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Evaluating the relationship between competition and productivity within a native grassland.

Jonathan A Bennett¹, James F Cahill

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. jon.bennett@ualberta.ca

|August 29, 2012

Summary

Plant competition intensity and importance decrease with increasing grassland productivity, challenging classic theories. New models are needed to explain these complex plant-plant interactions across different life history components.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Plant Biology
Community Ecology

Background:

Classic theories (Grime and Tilman) offer conflicting predictions on how plant competition changes with productivity.
Previous research and meta-analyses show mixed support for these established theories.
Reconciling these theories involves considering factors like stress, resource dynamics, and differential effects on growth versus survival.

Purpose of the Study:

To test classic theories of plant competition against productivity in a native grassland.
To quantify competitive intensity and importance across a natural productivity gradient.
To determine how environmental factors influence plant-plant interactions.

Main Methods:

Assessed competitive intensity and importance for 22 grassland species.
Measured plant performance (survival, size) with and without neighbors.
Quantified environmental variables: standing crop, gross water supply, and net water supply.

Main Results:

Neighbors weakly facilitated seedling survival but strongly reduced seedling growth.
Both competitive intensity and importance declined as productivity (standing crop, water supply) increased.
Neighbor effects on survival were linked to standing crop, while effects on growth related to gross water supply.

Conclusions:

The study's findings do not support the Grime or Tilman theories of plant competition.
Results align partially with a meta-analysis and other theories but indicate no single theory explains all observed interactions.
New theoretical frameworks are required to understand plant competition dynamics in moderately productive grasslands, considering varied life history components and environmental factors.