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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...

Altruism

Altruism

Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.

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.

Egoism and Altruism

Egoism and Altruism

Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people is called prosocial behavior. Why do people help other people? Is personal benefit such as feeling good about oneself the only reason people help one another?

Robbers Cave

Robbers Cave

During the 1950s, the landmark Robbers Cave experiment demonstrated that when groups must compete with one another, intergroup conflict, hostility, and even violence may result. At the Oklahoman summer camp, two troops of boys—termed the Rattlers and the Eagles—took part in a week-long tournament. During this time, their negativity culminated in derogatory name-calling, fistfights, and even vandalism and destruction of property. However, this work also revealed that such tension...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Monitoring Intraspecies Competition in a Bacterial Cell Population by Cocultivation of Fluorescently Labelled Strains

Published on: January 18, 2014

Cell competition: dying for communal interest.

Maximilien Courgeon¹, Nikolaos Konstantinides¹, Claude Desplan²

¹Department of Biology, New York University, 1009 Silver Center, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA.

Current Biology : CB

|April 22, 2015

Summary

Cell competition eliminates slower cells during development. New studies reveal this process also acts as adult tissue surveillance, maintaining health during aging and regeneration.

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Cell Biology
Tissue Homeostasis

Background:

Cell competition is a known mechanism for eliminating suboptimal cells during embryonic development.
This process ensures the fitness of developing tissues by removing less viable cells.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of cell competition beyond embryonic development.
To determine if cell competition functions as a surveillance mechanism in adult tissues.

Main Methods:

The studies utilized genetic models and live imaging techniques.
Analysis focused on cellular interactions and tissue integrity in adult organisms.

Main Results:

Cell competition was found to operate in adult tissues, not just during embryogenesis.
This mechanism actively removes "wasteful" cells, preserving tissue function.
Evidence suggests its involvement in maintaining tissue integrity during aging and regeneration.

Conclusions:

Cell competition is a vital surveillance system throughout life, not limited to development.
It plays a critical role in tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and the aging process.
Understanding cell competition offers insights into age-related diseases and tissue repair.