By the term relationships, you generally refer to the state of a connection or an association with someone. One such category of relationship is competition relationships. Whenever we use the term relationships, we not only refer to the relation or interrelation of humans but animals and all other living creatures as well. Similarly, competition relationships are not bounded to humans but to all other living species as well. As the name suggests, it refers to the state of competition among the partners in a relationship. Furthermore, there are various types of competition in a relationship. But that’s not the end to it, read the article to know more along with competition relationship examples.
1. What are the Different Types of Competition?
There are two types of competition they are intraspecific and interspecific competition.
- Intraspecific Competition: Intraspecific Competition happens between the members of the same species that strive for the same resources. It is a basic factor in an ecosystem that leads to the evolution of species for better adaptations.
- Interspecific Competition: Interspecific competition happens between the members of different species. Competition relationship examples of this type involve when different species of predators hunt for a single prey.
We can classify competition relationships furthermore into three different types of competition. Among these, two of them are interference competition and exploitation competition, which can be categorized under real competition. Real Competition is categorized into two types Interference and Exploitation Competition.
- Interference Competition: Interference Competition refers to the direct rivalry between individuals. This occurs when one individual restricts another individual’s access to resources. These are common among animals such as songbirds as they use vocalizations to restrict others birds of the same kind in order to maintain their territorial region.
- Exploitation Competition: Exploitation Competition refers to when individuals interact indirectly to compete for common resources such as prey, food, etc. As a result, one individual will decrease the number of available resources for the other.
The third type is called Apparent Competition. Apparent Condition will occur when individuals that do not directly compete for resources affect one another indirectly just by being prey for the same predator.
2. What is a Competition Relationship?
Relationships are of varied types and involve different types of relations such as friendships, family relationships, acquaintances, situational relationships (also known as Situationships), and much more. Till now you have been introduced to the different forms of relationship, but what is a Competition Relationship? And what are competition relationship examples? It is most commonly characterized as the interaction of individuals competing for a limited supply of common resources, but it may also be defined in a much broader way as the direct or indirect contact of organisms that leads to a change in fitness when organisms share a common resource. (See What are the Six Components of Ecosystem?)
3. What are Competition Relationship Examples?
Competition relationship examples are when two male birds of similar species struggle to compete for mating. Competition relationships not only focus on the competition of mating but also on food, prey, territories, etc. Animals in an ecosystem compete for food, air, space, area, etc. plants as well compete for resources like sunlight, air, and water.
4. What is a Competitive Relationship in Biology?
Competitive relationship in biology refers to when an organism interacts with other organisms of the same species and competes for a common resource that is limited in supply. These resources include food, water territory, etc. Competitive relationship in biology involves competition, not only between animals but also between plant species. (See What are Macrosystem Examples?)
5. What are Some Examples of Competition in an Ecosystem?
In an ecosystem, competition relationship examples include when sharks, dolphins, and several sea birds usually eat similar types of fish in an ocean ecosystem. These examples are types of intraspecific competitions. Other examples of competition in an ecosystem are when chipmunks and mice have similar predators. But if chipmunks are decreased as a result of changes in the environment, more mice will be eaten.
6. What Animals have a Competition Relationship?
Animals and birds such as woodpeckers and squirrels usually compete for their right of nesting in the same holes in trees. Other animals in competition relationship examples such as lions and cheetahs often target the same prey as gazelles and antelopes. Hence, it is observed that all animal species share both interspecific and intraspecific competition in their own ways. (See What is a Tropical Rainforest Food Web?)
7. What Two Animals Compete for the Same Food?
As we discuss examples of competition in an ecosystem or any competition relationship examples, the two animals competing for the same food are Cheetahs and lions as they feed themselves on similar prey. They are not impacted by the presence of other species because of the less amount of food. Even knowing the result, they tend to compete for survival.
8. What is an Example of Competition in the Ocean?
Interspecific competition is common in an oceanic ecosystem. One such example is the relationship between sponges and corals. Since the sponges are abundant in coral reefs, they usually take more food and other resources from the corals leading to the death of too many corals which will eventually damage the reef. (See How does Conservation favour Hunters?)
9. What are 5 Examples of Mutualism?
Mutualism refers to when two organisms of different species work together to benefit from the relationship. A few examples of mutualism are:
- Pistol Shrimps and Gobies: In rare situations, gobies will create mutualistic partnerships with Alpheidae pistol shrimps. Pistol shrimp are burrowers, creating burrows in the sandy bottom that they often share with gobies. Outside the burrow, the couple remains close, with the shrimp frequently maintaining physical touch by laying its sensitive antennae on the fish. When the goby detects a possible predator, it seeks cover in the common burrow via chemical signals and bolts. The shrimp, too, relies on tactile and chemical clues to determine when it has to hide. When the goby is active, it tells the shrimp that it is safe to leave the burrow.
- Aphids and Ants: Aphids are sap-sucking insects that exude honeydew, a sweet liquid by-product of their feeding. Many aphid species have been shown to form mutualistic relationships with ants, who are known to feed on honeydew just by milking the aphids through their antennae. In exchange, some ant species will protect the aphids from parasites and predators.
- Woolly Bats and Pitch Plants: Woolly bats tend to roost inside pitch plants. As the bats get a hidden hole in order to rest, the plants get benefited from the guano or feces that the animal produces. In such a way the plants get the essential nutrients for their own survival.
- Oxpeckers and Large mammals: Oxpeckers are of two types: red-billed oxpeckers and yellow-billed oxpeckers. They tend to spend time clinging to large mammals like rhinos and zebras and other grazing wild beasts. They do this regularly and pick parasites and several blood-sucking flies from the mammal’s body. This benefits the mammal to keep control of the parasite load and serves the peckers as their meal.
- Anemones and Clownfish: Anemones are flower-like sea animals with neurotoxins. They tend to be close to clownfish, which are immune to anemone stings. This helps the clownfish to protect themselves from marine predators by hiding in the anemones.
10. What are 10 Examples of Commensalism?
Commensalism is defined as the activity of carcass-eating creatures that trailed predators to consume their leftover meal. Here are 10 examples of commensalism:
- The disc on the heads of remora fish allows them to connect to bigger creatures such as sharks, manta rays, and whales. When the bigger animal feeds, the remora separates to consume the additional food.
- Nurse plants are bigger plants that shield seedlings from the elements and animals, allowing them to grow.
- Plants provide protection for tree frogs.
- Once evicted from a group, golden jackals would follow a tiger to dine on the carcasses of its prey.
- Goby fish feed on other marine creatures, changing color to blend in and protect themselves from predators.
- Cattle egrets feed on insects that cattle stir up when grazing. The cattle remain unharmed, but the birds benefit.
- The burdock plant is known to contain prickly seeds that adhere to animal hair or human clothes. Plants rely on this mode of seed distribution to reproduce, whereas mammals are unaffected.
- Birds making nests in a tree.
- Orchids growing on tree branches.
- Moss growing on trees.
It is evident that competition relationships are important to keep an ecological balance. The environmental food chain is highly dependent upon these competitive relationships. Although knowing the consequences, two or more organisms remain in such competition for survival. During an environmental change, if one of the organisms in a relationship is decreased, the other gets affected much more, leading to the imbalance of the food chain.
