Every organism in an ecosystem needs a place to live. The place in which an organism lives is called its habitat. An organism's way of life within an ecosystem is called its niche. An organism's niche includes food, shelter, its predators, the temperature, the amount of moisture the organism needs to survive, etc.
When two or more individuals or populations try to use the same limited resources such as food, water, shelter, space, or sunlight, it is called competition.
Competition can occur among individuals of the same species such as white tail deer competing for the same food or the same mate. Competition can also occur among different species in the same community, such as different species of trees competing with each other for sunlight and growing space.
Competition for food, living space, or other resources can prevent population growth. The taller trees in the picture above reduce the amount of sunlight available to the shorter trees. If the shorter trees have limited sunlight, they may be limited in their ability to undergo photosynthesis and produce glucose. If they are unable to produce glucose, they will not survive and will not be able to reproduce.
Look at the images below. What resources are the organisms competing for?
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