Estifano et.

al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn

1

Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo (Vigna radiata

(L.) R. Wilczek) and corn (Zea mays L.)

Jessah Mae S. Estifano, Christine S. Jocson,

and Ariane Joyce G. Kekim

College of Dentistry, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, 1000, Philippines

Competition is an important force that involves interactions between individuals of

the same species or individuals of different species and arises due to limited resources.
This study focuses on the effect of the two types of competition, interspecific and
intraspecific, among two plant species namely mongo and corn and to determine their
relative competitiveness. A total of 20 mongo and 20 corn seedlings were used for the
experiment. The seeds were first imbibed and were stored in an area where there
was direct sunlight. These were planted in nine pots, each containing either the
mongo or corn seeds or both. After 7 days, the plants were uprooted and the length
and weight of the plants were measured. Results showed that there are no changes
observed in plant heights and weights of both mongo and corn as there are changes
in plant competition densities between setups. Placing interspecific competition into
mind, corn seedlings seemed to grow faster when compared to the growth of the
mongo seedlings with regards to average plant heights and fresh weights. The study
showed that there is no correlation between the number of seedlings per pot in terms
of plant growth, both in height and weight. This study can be used as basis for
agriculture-based researches, to further understand the limiting factors affecting
plant growth and its development.
Keywords: intraspecific competition, interspecific competition, mongo, corn

INTRODUCTION and variable set-ups, (2) assess the effect of

Competition is a biological interaction
among organisms or species while they are
both harmed. This is due to lack of resources
and these species compete to survive. This
occurs when the capability of the
environment to supply resources is smaller
than the potential biological requirement of
the organisms. The objectives of this
experiment include (1) identifying the control
competition among individuals of the plant
species with different densities (in this case,
the corn and mongo seedlings are used), and
(3) assess their relative competitiveness.
Types of Competition
There are two types of competition:
Interspecific competition refers to the

Corresponding Author: agkekim@up.edu.ph, +63 929 162 2501

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
2

interactions among individuals of the spacing of the seeds were maintained through
different species. making it equidistant from the seed placed on
the center. The soil was then moistened with
Intraspecific competition in ecology, is equal amounts of tap water in a span of one
highly density-dependent which means that week.
the more densely-populated the ecosystem,
more competition will occur. This type of Measuring the Seedlings
competition can be classified as an The plants were uprooted and soil particles
interference, where organisms directly fight were removed. The length and weight of each
for the resource, or exploitative, where they plant were measured through the use of a
compete indirectly. ruler and a weighing scale. The data were
then recorded.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
Materials: Total Plant Length
Mongo and corn seeds, ziploc bag, tissue
Table 1 below shows the total plant length of
paper, water, nine 22 oz cups, garden soil,
different setups of corn and mongo seedlings
plastic cover, ruler, weighing scale
that are subjected to intraspecific and
interspecific competition after 1 week. For
Imbibing the Seeds
setups with corn only (Pots 1, 2, and 3), it has
A sprayer was used to wet a tissue paper
been observed that the pot with the highest
evenly. The mongo seeds were carefully
average plant height is Pot 1 containing 1
placed over the tissue paper and equidistant
corn seedlings. It was analyzed statistically
from other seeds. Another tissue paper was
that there are no significant differences in the
sprayed with water and placed on top of the
plant height averages between different
seeds. The tissue paper was then placed
numbers of corn seedlings in the pot and that
inside a ziploc bag, sealed but left a few space
the plant height is correlated to the number of
open for air to enter the bag. The same
corn seedlings at an R2 value of 4%.
methods were done for corn seeds. The set-
ups were stored in an area where there is
direct sunlight for one day and one night.
For setups with mongo only, it can also be
observed that the pot containing 1 mongo
Preparing the Experimental Set-ups
seedling (Pot 5) had the highest recorded
Equal amounts of garden soil in each 22 oz
average plant height as compared to those
cup were added. The corresponding number
with pots containing 2 and 4 mongo seedlings.
of germinated seeds were planted: Pot 1 - 1
Statistically, there is no significant difference
corn, Pot 2 - 4 corn, Pot 3- 8 corn, Pot 4 - 1
between average plant heights and the
mongo, Pot 5 - 4 mongo, Pot 6 - 8 mongo, Pot
number of seedlings in the pot. Plant height
7 - 1 corn and 1 mongo, Pot 8 - 2 corn, 2
is also 16% predictable from the number of
mongo, Pot 9 - 4 corn, 4 mongo. Even
mongo seedlings growing inside a pot.
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
For setups with both mongo and corn
seedlings within the same pot, Pot 8 with 2
corn and 2 mongo seedlings exhibited the
highest plant heights. Statistically, there was
no significant difference between the number
of corn seedlings subjected to interspecific
competition and the average measured plant
heights. The same goes with mongo seedlings
subjected to interspecific competition. In
these setups, comparing between corn and
mongo showed that the average plant height
of corn seedlings was higher.
Total Fresh Weight of the Plant
Observed fresh weights of plants from
different setups of corn and mongo seedlings
that are subjected to intraspecific and
interspecific competition after 1 week can be
compared through Table 2 below. As
observed for setups with corn seedlings only,
the pot with the highest average plant weight
is Pot 1 with 1 corn seedling and the lowest is
Pot 3 with 8 corn seedlings. It was analyzed
statistically that there are significant
differences in the fresh weight averages
between different numbers of corn seedlings
in the pot and that the plant height is
correlated to the number of corn seedlings at
an R2 value of 0.3%.
The same can be observed with the setups
with mongo seedlings with regards to the
number of seedlings each pot. Statistically,
there is no significant difference between
average fresh weights and the number of
seedlings in the pot. Fresh weight is also 30%
predictable from the number of mongo
seedlings growing inside a pot.
3
However, for the setups with mixed type of
seedlings, the average weights of the
seedlings in Pot 8 was observed to be the
highest. Statistically, there was no significant
difference between the number of corn
seedlings subjected to interspecific
competition and the average measured fresh
weights. The results for mongo seedlings
were however the opposite as it exhibited
significant differences between average fresh
weights and the number of seedlings. Corn
seedlings in this setup exhibited a higher
plant weight average compared to its
companion mongo seedlings in the same pot.
Other Observations
All seedlings that have successfully
germinated have exhibited a healthy green
color. For others which did not grow healthily,
the observed color was a lighter shade of
green for both type of seedling. There were
also seedlings that exhibited poor growth
such as those in Pots 2, 3, 4, and 9, all which
contain multiple seedlings in each pot. For
Pot 2, there was a seedling that did not
germinate at all.
DISCUSSION
Intraspecific competition is an interaction in
population ecology, whereby members of the
same species compete for limited resources.
This was the case for pots 1-6, where corn
(pots 1-3) and mongo (pots 4-6) seeds were
placed in the same pot at different numbers of
seeds in each setup. Interspecific competition,
however, refers to form of competition in
which individuals of different species
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
compete for the same resources in an
ecosystem. This was exhibited in the
experiment in pots 7-9 where mongo and
corn seeds were placed in the same pot at
different numbers of seeds each.
In the case of pots 1-6 where intraspecific
competition was shown, there was no
significant change that happened in the plant
heights and fresh weights of the seedlings in
both the mongo and corn setups as the
number of seedlings per pot changed. The
plant heights and fresh weights of the
seedlings were decided to have no correlation
with the number of seedlings per pot.
However, it was also observed physically that
there were plants that grew normally and
there were those that didn’t. The frequency of
plants that did not grow well or did not
germinate at all was more observed at setups
with 4 or 8 seedlings per pot. It can be
assumed that this can be attributed to
increased competitors as it contributes to
some plants’ water nutrient absorption
deficiency.
For pots 7-9 which represents the groups with
interspecific as well as intraspecific
competition, it was observed that average
plant heights and average fresh weights of
corn seedlings as well as average plant height
of mongo seedlings did not change with
regards to the different of number of
seedlings in the same pot. It was also
observed that the average fresh weights of
mongo seedlings also changed as the number
of seedlings in the same pot changed. Once
again, in pot 9 that there was a noticeable
4
physical change in terms of the number of
seedlings that survived due to the increased
competition on water and soil nutrients.
Placing interspecific competition into mind,
corn seedlings seemed to grow faster when
compared to the growth of the mongo
seedlings with regards to average plant
heights and fresh weights. Theoretically, corn
is a heavy feeder and needs frequent nitrogen
applications which may explain its faster
growth. Beans, on the other hand, such as
mongo, can fix nitrogen in the soil and rarely
need additional fertilizer. Corn depletes the
soil of nutrients, while the mongo beans help
replenish the soil (Christensen, 2017).This
means that it can also be quite beneficial if
interspecific organisms coexist with each
other in the same environment.
CONCLUSIONS
The study revealed that in intraspecific
competition, there is no correlation between
the number of seedlings per pot with the
growth of the plant both in height and weight.
However, at some time where number of
seedlings are greater, nutrient exploitation on
the other growing species happened.
Consequently, the same situation happened
with interspecific competition. Although
initially, growth were not correlated to the
number of species, soon after where the
carrying capacity of the environment was
reached, competition arose and few survived.
With this, it can be concluded that as densities
increase, a threshold is reached where density
begins to influence mortality through
resource availability.
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
5

Moreover, as corn is a heavy feeder and
consumes nitrogen more frequently, its
growth is faster compared to the mongo
wherein it fixes its own nitrogen in the soil to
replenish it. Also, since the two has
antagonistic roles in soil nutrient, corn
depleting it and mongo replenishing it, the
two species could be placed together in the
same environment where commensalistic
relationship can happen.
Furthermore, the results of this experiment
may have implications in agriculture that can
be used to analyze and formulate the best
environment and growing conditions for each
plant. Also, this can be utilized to understand
the other limiting factors that affect plant
growth such as density of species and
carrying capacity of the environment and
competition on biological communities.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The researchers advise the increased
imbibing time of the seeds. Since other seeds
were already imbibed all at the same time,
their germination and breaking of dormancy
were easily detected whereas, some seeds
weren’t imbibed and so it may be one of the
factors that affect their growth.
For future studies, it is highly recommended
to allot more space for the seed for the
spacing to be consistent and even all
throughout their growing periods. Alternative
to this, a plant box may be used to ensure the
even seed spacing. It is also advised to water
the plants everyday to obtain better and
consistent results.
Also, the soil should be of good quality and
the plant should be placed where they are able
to absorb sunlight as it will help with their
food production.
LITERATURE CITED
Brennan, J. (2019, March 02). Interspecific
Competition vs. Intraspecific Competition.
Retrieved May 13, 2019, from
https://sciencing.com/interspecific-
competition-vs-intraspecific-competition-
10026401.html
Christensen, J. (2017, November 21). Corn vs.
Bean Plant Growth. Retrieved May 13, 2019,
from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/corn-vs-
bean-plant-growth-65864.html
Interspecific Competition. (2017). Retrieved
May 13, 2019, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricu
ltural-and-biological-sciences/interspecific-
competition
Taylor, M. R., Simon, E. J., Dickey, J.,
Hogan, K. A., Reece, J. B., & Campbell, N.
A. (2017). Campbell Biology (11th ed.). New
York, NY: Pearson Education.
I hereby certify that I contributed
significantly in this scientific report.
Jessah Mae S. Estifano
2018 - 09611
Christine S. Jocson
2018-00858
Ariane Joyce G. Kekim
2018-08942
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
6

Corn Mongo Other

Pot # Contents
Total per pot Average Total per pot Average observations
1 1 corn 18 18 regular growth
2 regular
seedlings, 1
2 4 corn 56 14 small seedling,
1 seed didn’t
germinate
8 w/ regular
3 8 corn 99 12.375 growth, 1
small seedling
4 1 mongo 23 23 regular growth
4 w/ regular
5 4 mongo 90 22.5 growth
6 w/ regular
6 8 mongo 134 16.75 growth, 2
small seedlings
all w/ regular
7 1 corn + 1 mongo 35 35 25 25 growth
all w/ regular
8 2 corn + 2 mongo 76 38 52 26 growth
2 small corn
seedlings, 1
9 4 corn + 4 mongo 62 15.5 55 13.75 small mongo
seedling

Table 1. Total plant length of different setups of corn and mongo seedlings subjected to intraspecific and
interspecific competition after 1 week
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
7

Corn Mongo Other

Pot # Contents
Total per pot Average Total per pot Average observations
1 1 corn 11.9 11.9 regular growth
2 regular
seedlings, 1
2 4 corn 17.5 4.375 small seedling,
1 seed didn’t
germinate
8 w/ regular
3 8 corn 54.5 6.8125 growth, 1
small seedling
4 1 mongo 7.6 7.6 regular growth
4 w/ regular
5 4 mongo 41 10.25 growth
6 w/ regular
6 8 mongo 55.3 6.9125 growth, 2
small seedlings
all w/ regular
7 1 corn + 1 mongo 9.3 9.3 6.3 6.3 growth
all w/ regular
8 2 corn + 2 mongo 26.1 13.05 20.3 10.15 growth
2 small corn
seedlings, 1
9 4 corn + 4 mongo 31.3 7.825 12.5 3.125 small mongo
seedling

Table 2. Total fresh plant weight of different setups of corn and mongo seedlings subjected to
intraspecific and interspecific competition after 1 week
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
8

Plant Height of Corn Seedlings with Intraspecific Competition (Pots 1, 2, and 3)

(Post hoc tests are not performed for CORN_PLANT_HEIGHTS because at least one group has fewer than
two cases.)
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
9

Fresh Weight of Corn Seedlings with Intraspecific Competition (Pots 1, 2, and 3)

(Post hoc tests are not performed for CORN_FRESH_WEIGHTS because at least one group has fewer than
two cases.)
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
10

Plant Height of Mongo Seedlings with Intraspecific Competition (Pots 4, 5, and 6)

(Post hoc tests are not performed for MONGO_PLANT_HEIGHTS because at least one group has fewer
than two cases.)
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
11

Fresh Weight of Mongo Seedlings with Intraspecific Competition (Pots 4, 5, and 6)

(Post hoc tests are not performed for MONGO_FRESH_WEIGHTS because at least one group has fewer
than two cases.)
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
12

Plant Height of Corn Seedlings with Interspecific Competition (Pots 7, 8, and 9)

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
13

Plant Height of Mongo Seedlings with Interspecific Competition (Pots 7, 8, and 9)

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
14

Fresh Weight of Corn Seedlings with Interspecific Competition (Pots 7, 8, and 9)

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
15

Fresh Weight of Mongo Seedlings with Interspecific Competition (Pots 7, 8, and 9)

Table 3. SPSS tables of plant heights and fresh weights of mongo and corn seedlings after one
growth with varying levels of intraspecific and interspecific competition due to different plant
densities
Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
16

Figure 1. Imbibing of mongo (Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek) seeds

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
17

Figure 2. Imbibing of corn (Zea mays L.) seeds

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
18

Figure 3. Setups 1-9 after three days

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
19

Figure 4. Setups 1-9 after one week

Estifano et. al (2019): Intraspecific and Interspecific Competition among mongo and corn
20

Figure 5. Measuring of plant heights after being uprooted from one week of growth