Wildlife has its own, sometimes harsh laws. Between different organisms, even of the same species, competition often arises. What is intraspecific struggle? What causes and consequences can it have?
Intraspecific struggle: definition and essence of the concept
The relationship between living organisms can develop in different ways. Sometimes they manifest themselves in the form of cooperation, where both participants benefit, sometimes they are mutually derogatory. Competition is a type of relationship in which living organisms compete. Benefits usually go to one person.
There are two types of competition: interspecific and intraspecific. The first, as the name implies, occurs between representatives of different species. It often occurs when the same resource, such as water, is needed for the life of organisms. Especially if the resource is limited.
Intraspecific struggle occurs in representatives of one or more populations within the same species. In this case, the ecological niche in living organisms coincides as much as possible,therefore, the competition is more fierce and sharp than in the case of interspecies competition.
Causes and consequences
Representatives of the same species compete for territory or food. The need for it appears when there are too many representatives of the population. One of the reasons may be a sharp change in environmental conditions as a result of natural disasters or disasters.
Intraspecies struggle is constantly happening as competition for fertilization. Competition is more common among males, forced to compete for the attention of the female. It is well developed in species where social roles are clearly defined, and the leader is chosen through rivalry.
Competition within species is an important natural mechanism that regulates the number of individuals so that the population does not grow excessively. It is also a serious engine that provokes living organisms to change, adapt to environmental conditions.
Intraspecific struggle: examples
There are quite a few animals that practice rivalry with their fellows. Various adaptations can be developed in animals to reduce competition within a population. For example, in insects at different stages of development, individuals differ in appearance, way of feeding, etc. In butterflies, these are pupae, in dragonflies, ants, and others, they are larvae.
More than a thousand animal species have chosen cannibalism as competition. In some species, it is always present, in others it occurs in "difficult times" whenadverse environmental factors. Praying mantis and black widow females eat their partner immediately after mating, lions can encroach on their own cubs, hamadryas eat the offspring of conquered females.
Examples in plants
Animals, by virtue of their capabilities, show rivalry more vividly and in a variety of ways. In plants, intraspecific struggle proceeds slowly. It occurs in competition for sunlight, water and food resources.
Have you ever seen weak and poorly developed trees in the forest, while their counterparts at a distance of half a meter grow tall and strong? Most likely, they fell under the influence of the competitive factor. More resistant plants develop more actively, gradually shading the foliage of the "neighbors". In the absence of sun, weak individuals grow even worse and eventually die.
An example of struggle is the development of powerful branched roots in plants. The more they grow, the less nutrients the neighboring plants will receive. Thus, intraspecific competition performs the function of natural selection, contributing to the survival of the strongest and most adapted organisms.
