Abstract
N iche competition has been the subject of intensive field Sand experimental studies basic to emerging ecological concepts. One especially current area of application to applied ecology is the competitive role of newcomers to large communities, brought there either by accidental, weedy arrival or by deliberate introductions targeted at biological control of economic pests. A second area of intensive application is the rising preoccupation with measuring biodiversity of endangered ecosystems, that is, how many species can live sympatrically by splitting the niche? In this article, we focus on the first of these areas, comparing the interestingly different characteristics of higher vertebrates and arthropods. Biological control is generally viewed as an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical control. However, the introduction of alien species, whether or not as part of a biological control plan, is not without risk. Alien species themselves, for example, the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) in North America and the European rabbit (OryctoVertebrates are poor
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
