Competition occurs both within a species and between members of different species. At least in the short run, competition is bad for all of the competitors, none getting as much of the resource as they would without competition. In general, the competitor that comes out smelling like a rose is the one better fit for an environment: better at gathering food, better at obtaining a mate, better at securing shelter, better at whatever is the sticking point.
Sometimes an unexpected talent wins out. For example, many species of
bacteria call our noses home, including some that can cause disease. Among these are
Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. They prefer to live
in the same parts of the nose when given the chance, but if both are present, compete
with each other for that habitat. Haemophilus, which is a rather nasty little
bug, upholds its reputation—it cheats. Rather than one on one combat, the little
critter sweet-talks the immune system of the host (that's you) into attacking its
foe, leaving it victorious on the field of battle.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Research Highlights. 2005. Nosy parkers. Nature 436:445.