Competition in Animals What is meant by competition and why do animals compete with each other. What qualities are needed in order to become a successful competitor.

Learning Outcomes All students will know that animals have to compete to survive. Most will be able to describe the features that make an animal a successful competitor and suggest the factors for which an animal is competing in a given environment. Some will be able to explain why certain features make an animal a successful competitor.

Key Definitions community – All the different types of organisms within an ecosystem. population – The number of one particular species within a specific area. competition – The struggle for resources between individuals of the same or different species. habitat – The physical, non-living part of an ecosystem. ecosystem – A specific type of environment and all the organisms living within it.

What is competition? All living things need natural resources, but the problem is that there is not enough for everyone. This means that individuals have to fight for them in order to survive. This struggle for resources is called competition.

Who competes? Competition occurs between members of different species. This is called interspecific competition. Competition also occurs between members of the same species. This is called intraspecific competition.

What do animals compete for? There are four resources for which animals compete. What are they? food water mates land (territory) Which resource is not relevant for interspecific competition? Photo credit: © 2006 Jupiterimages Corporation Members of different species will not compete for mates.

Competition and population size The size of a population varies due to factors such as disease, migration and predation. Intraspecific competition generally has a stabilizing effect on a population. Why is this? population rises less competition more competition population falls

A summary of competition Teacher notes This completing sentences activity could be used as a plenary or revision exercise on competition. Students could be asked to write down the missing words in their books and the activity could be concluded by the completion on the IWB.

Ecological terms Teacher notes This matching activity could be used as a plenary or revision exercise on ecological terms. Students could be asked to complete the questions in their books and the activity could be concluded by the completion on the IWB.

Multiple-choice quiz Teacher notes This multiple-choice quiz could be used as a plenary activity to assess students’ understanding of competition. The questions can be skipped through without answering by clicking “next”. Students could be asked to complete the questions in their books and the activity could be concluded by the completion on the IWB.