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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.

Effect of Sea Water on Concrete

Effect of Sea Water on Concrete

Concrete exposed to seawater can undergo degradation like the dissolution of ettringite and gypsum, increasing the material's porosity and decreasing its strength. In contrast, the crystallization of salts within the concrete's pores can cause expansion, particularly above the waterline where evaporation occurs. Nonetheless, this expansion only happens when seawater, enabled by the concrete's permeability, manages to infiltrate the structure.
Concrete in areas between tide marks,...

Primary Production

Primary Production

The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Responses to Salt Stress

Responses to Salt Stress

Salt stress—which can be triggered by high salt concentrations in a plant’s environment—can significantly affect plant growth and crop production by influencing photosynthesis and the absorption of water and nutrients.

Osmoregulation in Fishes

Osmoregulation in Fishes

When cells are placed in a hypotonic (low-salt) fluid, they can swell and burst. Meanwhile, cells in a hypertonic solution—with a higher salt concentration—can shrivel and die. How do fish cells avoid these gruesome fates in hypotonic freshwater or hypertonic seawater environments?

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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Culture - Creating a Semi-Quantitatively Controlled Microenvironment System to Counter Current Limitations

Author Spotlight: Advancing Coral Culture - Creating a Semi-Quantitatively Controlled Microenvironment System to Counter Current Limitations

Published on: July 21, 2023

Spatial competition dynamics between reef corals under ocean acidification.

Rael Horwitz^1,2, Mia O Hoogenboom³, Maoz Fine^1,2

¹The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.

Scientific Reports

|January 10, 2017

Summary

Ocean acidification (OA) significantly hinders coral growth, especially when corals compete with their own species. However, this effect lessens when corals face competition from other species, altering reef community structure.

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Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

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Published on: April 18, 2025

Area of Science:

Marine Biology
Climate Change Research
Ecosystem Dynamics

Background:

Coral reefs face significant threats from climate change, particularly ocean acidification (OA).
Previous research indicates OA negatively impacts coral fitness, but long-term competitive effects on growth are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the long-term effects of ocean acidification on coral growth rates under competitive interactions.
To assess how OA influences coral competition for space in reef ecosystems.

Main Methods:

A year-long, multispecies study involving reef-building corals from the Gulf of Aqaba.
Corals were subjected to competitive interactions under present-day (pH 8.1) and projected end-of-century (pH 7.6) ocean pH levels.
A spatial competition model was employed to analyze shifts in competitive hierarchy and coral cover.

Main Results:

Ocean acidification significantly impeded coral growth under intraspecific competition for five out of six species studied.
The negative impact of OA on growth was negligible when corals already experienced suppressed growth due to interspecific competition.
Analysis revealed shifts in competitive hierarchies and a projected decrease in overall coral cover under lowered pH conditions.

Conclusions:

Modified competitive performance due to increasing ocean acidification is likely to alter the composition, structure, and functionality of coral reef communities.
The study highlights the complex interplay between OA and interspecific competition in shaping future reef ecosystems.