Interspecific Competition

Interspecific competition is competition between individuals of different species over the same limited resource in an ecosystem, such as food or living space, distinct from intraspecific competition, which occurs among members of a single species. It takes two main forms: exploitative competition, in which one species depletes or more efficiently uses a shared resource without the competing species ever interacting directly, and interference competition, in which individuals of different species interact directly through antagonistic displays or aggressive behavior. Its ecological effects include competitive exclusion, in which a superior competitor can eliminate a weaker one from a shared area; niche differentiation, in which competing species evolve to occupy different roles or spaces, easing direct competition and allowing coexistence; local extinction of a weaker competitor; and broader community effects that can alter species composition and richness across multiple levels of a food web.