The importance of interspecific competition in regulating communities, equilibrium vs. nonequilibrium

Abstract

The view that competition is an important "regulatory" factor in nature is widespread among ecologists. A discussion of the evolutionary significance of interspecific competition is therefore crucial in the context of this book. Definitions, kinds of competition, historical considerations, factors that bring about competition, and examples of the effects of competition on species and populations were discussed in detail in Rohde (2005). Here we restrict ourselves to a brief outline of the points made in that book, supplemented by evidence presented in the various chapters of the present book.