Competitions in nature often result in winners and losers, with the winning organisms dominating the community, while the losing species escape or fail to survive. This observation has led ecologists to formulate the competitive exclusion principle, which states that no two species can occupy the same area at the same time.

Herbivory

The process whereby an animal eats a plant or a plantlike organism such as a seaweed or phytoplankton is called herbivory. Organisms that feed on plants are called herbivores or grazers. This relationship has led to adaptations in both herbivores and the plant species that they eat. For example, some plant species have adapted their body parts to protect or defend them from attackers. Some of these plants have thorns that discourage herbivores from consuming them while others emit chemicals that cause harm to herbivores.

On the other hand, herbivores have also developed certain bodily mechanisms that alert them to potential danger in the plant species. The feet of butterflies, for example, have sensors that enable them to detect toxic substances in a plant.