Interspecific competition

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Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of different species compete for the same resources in an ecosystem. This can be contrasted with mutualism, a type of symbiosis. Competition between members of the same species is called intraspecific competition.

Subadult male lion and female spotted hyena in the Masai Mara. The two species share the same ecological niche, and are thus in competition with each other.

Naturalised purple-loosestrife plants growing in the Cooper Marsh Conservation Area, near Cornwall Ontario

Competition (biology)

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Competition is an interaction between organisms or species in which both require a resource that is in limited supply. Competition lowers the fitness of both organisms involved since the presence of one of the organisms always reduces the amount of the resource available to the other.

Great egret and neotropic cormorant competing over territory

Male-male competition in red deer during rut is an example of interference competition within a species.

Sea anemones compete for the territory in tide pools

Medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos