Competition Theory in Ecology (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution)

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 characteristics as density dependence (intraspecific competition) and evolution (competition between genotypes). Despite this, a solid theoretical framework has yet to be established to develop a more coherent understanding of this important interaction. Despite its prominence in the ecological literature, theory seems to have lost its way in recent decades, with many synthetic papers promoting outdated ideas, failing to use resource-based models, and having little utility in applied fields such as conservation and environmental management.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 on consumer-resource interactions in the context of larger food webs that contain behavioral or evolutionary adaptation components. Overly simple models and analytical methods remain influential.

Competition theory in ecology represents a timely opportunity to address these deficiencies and suggests a more useful approach to modeling that can provide a foundation for future models with greater predictive power in both ecology and evolution. The book concludes with some broader observations about the lack of agreement on the general principles to be used in constructing mathematical models that help to understand ecological systems. It argues that a more open discussion and debate on the underlying structure of ecological theory is now urgently needed to move the field forward.