ADAPTATION FOR SURVIVAL #2
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMPETITION AND SUCCESSION
In a succession habitat which are newly formed are gradually colonized by different plant species step by step until a relatively stable community established and later the habitat will be inhabited by animals. The change in a population caused by the replacement of the old members or the addition of the new ones as a result of competition is called succession.
As soon as a habitat is established competition set in. It intra-species competition or inter-species competition, members of the more successful species grow bigger and occupy more space or obtain more resources than members of the less-successful species. With time, the less-successful species become eliminated as a result of competitions in a habitat, plant and animals which make up the community undergo a series of changes with time. This process of change can be seen if an abandoned farmland is observed for several years. The species which first colonized the habitat would normally give way to other species. These species, in turn, give away to other species as a result of competition. The process continues until a stable community is established.
Competition plays a part in determining the pattern in which species succeed one another in a habitat. The early inhabitants modify the habitat by their activities, and the later arrival appears to be better able to compete and outgrow the previous inhabitant which gradually lose or get reduced in number and finally become eliminated.
