<P> Plants in competition extend themselves on one side of the ecotone as far as their ability to maintain themselves allows . Beyond this competitors of the adjacent community take over . As a result , the ecotone represents a shift in dominance . Ecotones are particularly significant for mobile animals , as they can exploit more than one set of habitats within a short distance . The ecotone contains not only species common to the communities on both sides ; it may also include a number of highly adaptable species that tend to colonize such transitional areas . The phenomenon of increased variety of plants as well as animals at the community junction is called the edge effect and is essentially due to a locally broader range of suitable environmental conditions or ecological niches . </P>
<P> Plants in competition extend themselves on one side of the ecotone as far as their ability to maintain themselves allows . Beyond this competitors of the adjacent community take over . As a result , the ecotone represents a shift in dominance . Ecotones are particularly significant for mobile animals , as they can exploit more than one set of habitats within a short distance . The ecotone contains not only species common to the communities on both sides ; it may also include a number of highly adaptable species that tend to colonize such transitional areas . The phenomenon of increased variety of plants as well as animals at the community junction is called the edge effect and is essentially due to a locally broader range of suitable environmental conditions or ecological niches . </P>
why is the greatest number of species found in the ecotone
why is the greatest number of species found in the ecotone
the edge effect
the edge effect