ABSTRACT
A review of the literature on competition experiments under field conditions was compiled by Schoener and indicated that interspecific competition plays a significant role in determining the distribution of species in ecosystems. This chapter reviews the current status of field and laboratory investigations regarding the significance of interspecific and intraspecific competition in determining the survival and zonation of halophytes in saline environments. Current research on the subject of interspecific competition in saline habitats has been focused on determining if competition is a significant factor in stressful, hypersaline environments. Intraspecific competition may influence the survival, growth, and fecundity of populations in saline habitats. The effect of intraspecific competition on survival of halophytes was reported to be closely correlated with the growth form of halophytic species. Interspecific competition probably plays a very significant role in determining the species diversity and relative cover in less saline portions of salt marshes and in ecotone areas between the zonal communities on salt marshes.
