Competition in Animals

1. Competition in Animals By: Jacy Bartnik

2. Competition • Competition: common demand by two or more organisms for environmental resources that are in short supply. Plants: Light, water, and nutrients Animals: food, nesting, shelters, mates

3. The battle for food! Solution Herbivores: specialize in eating certain plants. Carnivores: there prey is likely to be weaker then themselves or they hunt in packs. Problem Herbivores: compete for a food source if there are to many herbivores and not enough plants then they will starve. Carnivores: need to be stronger faster then there prey

4. Type’s of Competition • Intraspecific Competition: This is the competition between members of the same species. It is affected by population density. It helps to regulate the population. • Intrespecific Competition: The competition between members of different species in ecosystems increases when the competing species have common requirements. If there is a presence of a predator then it reduces chance of intrespecific competition.

5. Competition in Animals • Territory: several mechanisms by which animals control access to critical resources. The males will compete for territories by fighting or performing rituals as tests of strength. • Aggression: is a form of animal behavior that is an assault of attack on another animal. In interspecific aggression two species show forms of aggression towards each other. Types of aggression 1)Predatory aggression 2)Defensive aggression 3)Aggression directed to competitors for resources

6. Competition in Plants • In forest the taller trees receive more sun. The smaller ones are shaded from the taller trees therefore will never grow as tall. When a tree germinates in the spring it may not survive because the taller trees shade them. To avoid competition between the plants offspring they use animals, wind, and other ways to distribute their seeds.

7. Competition In Saskatchewan Red Wing Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Yellow headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus • They both share nesting habitats. • There is a Larger population of Red Wing Blackbirds which leads to low food sources. White Tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus Elk Cervus canadensis • They both generally eat the same plants therefore causing one of the species to starve or be forced out of the area.