An empirical test of the mechanistic underpinnings of interference competition

Interspecific competition is an essential element of the evolution of species and can strongly influence the abundance and distribution of species. Where competition interacts with anthropogenic habitat modification, this natural ecosystem process can become a threatening process. Understanding the mechanisms behind competition in such cases is essential for the formulation of cost-effective management responses for biodiversity conservation. According to the resource availability hypothesis of competition, interference competition limits access to resources by species vulnerable to aggression and wastes energy in evasive responses. Studying competition is notoriously difficult, however, empirical evidence of the resource availability hypothesis is limited, and there are few published experimental studies showing the effect at larger scales. We present the results of a controlled, replicated empirical study of interference competition at a landscape scale. We removed an aggressive, over...