Quiz 13: Competition

Intraspecific competition is a type of interaction in which the members of same species compete for the same resource. The resource may be nutrients, light, water, or air. In order to study the intraspecific competition, the following experiment can be conducted. Plant to be studied in the experiment for intraspecific competition : Tiger lily ( Lilium columbianum ) Nutrient or resource to be kept as the limiting factor for competition : "Potassium." The optimal amount in soil for proper growth of plants is 20,000ppm. Description about the plants : • It is herbaceous in nature. • It is a general inhabitant of the sunny areas. • Possess well-spaced orange colored flowers • The moderate height of the plant is about 2 to 4 feet. • The flowers face downwards Requirements of the experiment : • Green house: This can be built up in an area that has abundance of sunlight. It can be covered by transparent fiber sheet or glass in such a way that ample amount of sunlight penetrates. • Pots: A total of 300 pots filled with soil that vary in concentration of potassium as follows: Sample A: Concentration of potassium is kept at 20,000 ppm. This is the optimal concentration. Sample B: Concentration of potassium is kept at 10,000 ppm. This is the medium concentration. Sample C: Concentration of potassium is kept at 5,000 ppm. This is the lowest concentration. • Plants: Around 2700 seeds have to be planted in all. Experiment: 1. The 30 pots of sample A that is potassium concentration of 20,000ppm have to be divided into two sets: Sample A set 1: 15 pots have to be planted with 10 seeds per pot. Sample A set 2: 15 pots have to be planted with 50 seeds per pot. 2. The 30 pots of sample B that is potassium concentration of 10,000ppm have to be divided into two sets: Sample B set 1: 15 pots have to be planted with 10 seeds per pot. Sample B set 2: 15 pots have to be planted with 50 seeds per pot. 3. The 30 pots of sample C that is potassium concentration of 5,000ppm have to be divided into two sets: Sample C set 1: 15 pots have to be planted with 10 seeds per pot. Sample C set 2: 15 pots have to be planted with 50 seeds per pot. 4. The seedlings and plants have to be incubated for 4-5 months till the average height is gained in the normal conditions. 5. The other sources like water, oxygen, and light must be kept in normal concentration in the green house chamber. 6. The pots must be regularly checked for the presence of any other plants or weeds. Conclusion : As intraspecific competition is a natural phenomenon in such a case as described above, the following observations would be seen: • Sample A : In the pots of 20,000ppm concentration of potassium, the plants in set 1 would grow at their best. They would attain maximum height, produce maximum flowers, and would show healthy leaves. However, the set 2 would have lesser height, lesser number of healthy plants and reduced number of flowers. • Sample B : In pots of 10,000ppm concentration of potassium, the plants in set 1 would grow moderate height and medium number of flowers. However the plants in set 2 would have much lesser number of flowers and the plants would be much shorter in height. Due to the scarcity of potassium, the ends of leaf can show brown coloration. • Sample C : In pots with 5,000ppm concentration of potassium, the plants in both the sets would be reduced in number and size. However, the plants in set 1 would be better than set 2. The plants that grow at a higher density face a higher amount of intraspecific interactions and therefore show reduced growth than plants in lower density. Since potassium is an essential macroelement for plants, the pots that have reduced concentration of potassium show higher level of competition for the nutrient. With this experiment, it can be well demonstrated that intraspecific completion occurs in nature and is well prominent in the case where the density of plants is more.

The mouse proof fences created around the study plots by Brown and his colleagues was an attempt to establish a control of the condition which needed to be studied. A field experiment leads to the most reliable results if any parameter being studied is well controlled. To understand the effect of the parameters, it is important to note the effect on the study area before and after a change is being induced. The complete fencing around the study plots that was created by the researchers ensured the absence of any movement of the rodents to any area apart from the study plot. The researchers observed the parameters at regular interval and concluded the results on the base of this controlled condition. Here, the population density of the species was being studied. This was related to the completion. Later the cuts were made that were 6.5cm in diameter. This allowed the free movement of the large granivores in and out of the study area. The effect of this situation was studied by the researchers in the regular intervals of time. The study gave a complete idea about the effect of both the conditions on the population. The conditions were controlled. Therefore, the interference of external disturbances was avoided. The comparison between the study of density of small rodents in the large granivore removal plots with that of their population density in surrounding desserts would be less reliable because of the following reasons:- • The conditions in the surrounding desserts would not be controlled as effectively as that of the study areas. Hence, the comparison wouldn't be reliable. • Along with the small and large granivores, there would be other organisms inhabiting the dessert areas. They would influence the population of each other. Hence, the population of the smaller granivore wouldn't be solely influenced by their larger competitor as in the study area. • The conditions of the desserts wouldn't be fully known. Hence, the response to removal of large granivores cannot be correlated to a similar response in a non comparable different environment like a desert.

The intraspecific competition that can be seen in a population surviving in green house environment shows the competition between members of same species for similar resources. The importance of this competition is as follows: • The competition between the members of a species ensures a uniform distribution of the members in the ecosystem. The members do not accumulate in any one area of the habitat as they do compete for similar resources like space. The competition ensures adequate use of resources in every area of the habitat. • The intraspecific competition also enhances the favorable traits that make an organism better than the other members of the same species. With this phenomenon, natural selection occurs for favorable traits and slowly new species arise from the existing ones. Thus, the competition at times proved path to diversity. • The intraspecific competition keeps a check on the population of a particular species. For example, if there were ample resources of all members of a given herb, their population would dramatically increase. Intraspecific competition keeps a regulation on this population density. The green house environment provided for experiment based on any plant species provides the following benefits over the field experiment: • The light availability is much better than in the field. • The effect of the herbivorous predators can be completely eliminated. • Other important factors such as humidity, air, water and nutrients remain in a much homogenous and controlled condition for all the plants in a green house as compared to filed. The correspondence of results between the greenhouse and filed experiments can be increased by creating controlled environments in the field. If the field conditions would match that of green house, the relationship between the results would be more similar. Further, predation, growth of weeds, and natural calamities must be completed avoided in the field to create similar results like that of green house. The results obtained by experimentation in the green house are of an idealized situation where as the results in field would be the natural situation. Thus, correspondence between the two kinds would enable researchers to be more precise in concluding their findings.