Competition between species arises when two or more species share at
least some of the same limited resources. It is likely to affect all
species, as well as many higher-level aspects of community and ecosystem
dynamics. Interspecific competition shares many of the same features as
density dependence (intraspecific competition) and evolution
(competition between genotypes). In spite of this, a robust theoretical
framework is not yet in place to develop a more coherent understanding
of this important interaction. Despite its prominence in the ecological
literature, the theory seems to have lost direction in recent decades,
with many synthetic papers promoting outdated ideas, failing to use
resource-based models, and having little utility in applied fields such
as conservation and environmental management. Competition theory has
done little to incorporate new findings regarding consumer-resource
interactions in the context of larger food webs containing behaviourally
or
evolutionarily adapting components. Overly simple models and methods of
analysis continue to be influential.
Competition Theory in Ecology represents a timely opportunity to
address these shortcomings and suggests a more useful approach to
modelling that can provide a basis for future models that have greater
predictive ability in both ecology and evolution. The book concludes
with some broader observations on the lack of agreement on general
principles to use in constructing mathematical models to help understand
ecological systems. It argues that a more open discussion and debate of
the underlying structure of ecological theory is now urgently required
to move the field forward.
