Competition for Resources
Definition
This is a biological concept where organisms vie for the same limited resources in an environment, such as food, water, light, space or mates.
Analogy
Think of it like a game of musical chairs. There are fewer chairs than players and everyone is competing to secure a chair when the music stops. In nature, animals and plants compete in much the same way for available resources.
Related terms
Resource Partitioning: This refers to the way in which different species use the available resources in an area without directly competing with each other.
Intraspecific Competition: This is competition between members of the same species for resources.
Interspecific Competition: This is competition between members of different species for shared resources.
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