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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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 13, 2026

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Some Methods for Calculating Competition Coefficients from Resource-Utilization Spectra.

Thomas W Schoener

The American Naturalist

|March 8, 2018

Summary

This study presents two methods for calculating the competition coefficient, a key ecological metric. These formulas quantify interspecies competition based on diet composition or foraging time, aiding in ecological modeling.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Theoretical Ecology
Mathematical Biology

Background:

Interspecies competition is a fundamental ecological interaction influencing community structure and dynamics.
Quantifying competition coefficients is crucial for developing predictive ecological models.
Existing models often rely on simplified assumptions about resource use and consumer behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To derive and present two distinct formulas for calculating the competition coefficient (αij).
To provide methods applicable when diet composition or foraging time data are available.
To extend MacArthur's consumer-resource system for broader applicability in ecological studies.

Main Methods:

Method 1: Calculation based on relative frequencies of resource kinds in the diet.
Method 2: Calculation based on relative frequencies of time spent foraging in different habitats.
Both methods utilize parameters such as resource utilization, environmental availability, and energetic content.

Main Results:

A formula for the competition coefficient (αij) is derived using diet composition data.
An alternative formula for the competition coefficient (αij) is derived using foraging time data.
The derived coefficients are shown to be consistent with MacArthur's consumer-resource system under specific assumptions.

Conclusions:

The study provides practical, data-driven methods for estimating interspecies competition.
These coefficients can be computed using readily available ecological data on diet and foraging behavior.
The findings enhance the utility of mathematical models in understanding ecological competition.