In an aquarium two herbivorous species o | Class 12 Biology Chapter Organisms and Population, Organisms and Population NCERT Solutions

Competition is a rivalry relationship (competition for the same thing) between two or more organisms. A competition between individuals of same species (intraspecific) is more acute than the competition between individuals of different species as all the members in a intraspecific competition that have some basic requirements such as food, water, light, space, mating and shelter.

But it is true only when the resources are limited. According to Gause’s principle, if the two competing species coexist in a stable or same environment then it leads to differentiation of their realized niches; and if there no differentiation then one competing species will be eliminated, i.e. one of the species is to be eliminated. But recent studies have revealed that species facing intraspecific competition may evolve mechanism to encourage co- existence rather than exclusion which can also be done by a method known as ‘resource partitioning’.