Key learning points

1. All living organisms need resources from their habitat to enable them to survive.
2. Resources are limited, so individuals are in competition for them.
3. Organisms compete for resources such as food, water, space, shelter, light, mates, pollinators and seed dispersers.
4. Variation means some individuals are better adapted to compete more successfully than others.
5. These individuals have the best ‘fit’ to their environment.

Keywords

• Competition - Living organisms struggle for access to limited resources. This struggle is known as competition.

• Variation - Differences between organisms of the same species are known as variation.

• Adaptation - An adaptation is a feature that helps an organism to function and survive.

• Advantage - A feature that helps an organism to compete more effectively in its habitat gives the organism an advantage in the competition.

• Fittest - Organisms that are the best adapted to their environment are said to be the fittest.

Common misconception