Chapter 4, Problem 1TYC

To determine

To explain: The way in which competition promotes resource partitioning.

Answer to Problem 1TYC

Competition promotes resource partitioning so that both species can co-exist without the elimination of any species.

Explanation of Solution

The interaction among species poses threat in the fabric of ecological communities. Ecologists organize interaction among species into several categories such as competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism and mutualism.

Competition is the relationship that is said to present when multiple organisms seek the same limited resource. This relationship not always includes fight with other species physically or directly but it is generally subtle and indirect. This involves vying of organism with one another to “procure resources” and such resources include water, food, shelter, sunlight, mates, space and many more.

This type of interaction takes place between either members of same species resulting in intracellular competition or between members of different species that is interspecific competition. If one species is much effective competitor then it may exclude the other species entirely for resource which will result in imbalance. Alternatively if species may able to exist together, adapting over evolutionary time (natural selection) then they can use the resource in shared manner. This process is known as “resource partitioning”.