In wildlife, there are their own, sometimes harsh laws. Between different organisms of even one 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 of living organisms with each other can develop in different ways. Sometimes they appear 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. As a rule, someone gets the benefit.
There are two types of competition: interspecific and intraspecific. The first, as the name implies, occurs between representatives of various species. It often occurs when the same resource, for example water, is needed for the life of organisms. Especially if the amount of the resource is limited.
Intraspecific struggle is manifested in representatives of one or more populations within the same species. In this case, the ecological niche of living organisms coincides as much as possible, therefore the rivalry is more severe and acute than in the case of interspecific competition.
Causes and consequences
Representatives of one 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.
Intraspecific struggle constantly occurs as a rivalry for fertilization. Competition is more common among males forced to fight for female attention. It is well developed in species where social roles are clearly defined, and a 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, provoking living organisms to modify, adapt to environmental conditions.
Intraspecific struggle: examples
There are a lot of animals that practice rivalry with their brothers. Various devices can be developed to reduce rivalry within a population of animals. 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, larvae.
More than a thousand species of animals chose cannibalism as a competition. In some species, it is always present, in others it arises in “difficult times” under adverse environmental factors. Females of a mantis and a black widow eat a partner immediately after mating, lions can encroach on their own cubs, hamadrils eat the offspring of conquered females.
Plant Examples
Animals, by virtue of their capabilities, display rivalry more vividly and variably. In plants, intraspecific struggle is slow. It takes place in competition for sunlight, water and nutrition.
Have you ever seen weak and poorly developed trees in a forest, while their brethren grow tall and strong at a distance of half a meter? Most likely, they fell under the influence of the competition factor. More resistant plants develop more actively, gradually shading the leaves of "neighbors". In the absence of the sun, weak individuals grow even worse and die over time.
An example of a struggle is the development of powerful branched roots in plants. The more they grow, the less nutrients neighboring plants will receive. Thus, intraspecific competition performs the function of natural selection, contributing to the survival of the most powerful and adapted organisms.