THE COMPETITION DIALLEL AND THE EXPLOITATION AND INTERFERENCE COMPONENTS OF LARVAL COMPETITION IN DROSOPHILA-MELANOGASTER

A logistic model of the competition diallel is presented based on two linear parameters for the exploitation component of competition, namely the acquisition rate (f) and utilization efficiency (u), and one linear parameter for the interference component of competition (i). This interference component encompasses all phenomena that are uniquely related to duocultures, such as resource partitioning, mutual stimulation, inhibition and complementation. The model uses yield-density regression coefficients (c-values), but could be adapted to suit other variates that account for both competitor density and relative frequency. In Drosophila larval competition most interference is negative and depresses the performance of duocultures with respect to monocultures, over and above that expected from shared exploitation of a common resource. Even in the closely controlled competitive conditions of these experiments this interference accounts for a considerable proportion of the total variation. The isolation of a general, and therefore predictable, interference component may prove useful in agriculture when assessing the relative importance of mixture effects to the yield potential of different crops.