Which type of competition can occur between different species?

Interspecific competition refers to the competition that occurs between individuals of different species. This type of competition arises when species vie for the same resources, such as food, water, space, or light, which are in limited supply. An example of this can be seen in ecosystems where various plant species compete for sunlight or where predators compete for a common prey species.

Interspecific competition can lead to both species adapting to utilize different resources (niche differentiation) or potentially one species becoming more dominant, affecting the population dynamics and community structure of the ecosystem. It highlights the interrelationships between species in an ecosystem and how they influence each other's survival and reproduction.

The other types of competition mentioned, such as intraspecific competition, occurs within a single species and is focused on the competition among individuals of the same species. Interference competition and exploitation competition are terms more related to specific mechanisms of competition but do not broadly describe competition between different species in the same way that interspecific competition does.