Editing Resource curse (section)

== Examples in biology and ecology ==
Microbial ecology studies have also addressed if resource availability modulates the cooperative or competitive behaviour in bacteria populations. When resources availability is high, bacterial populations become competitive and aggressive with each other, but when environmental resources are low, they tend to be cooperative and [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualistic]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hoek|first1=Tim A.|last2=Axelrod|first2=Kevin|last3=Biancalani|first3=Tommaso|last4=Yurtsev|first4=Eugene A.|last5=Liu|first5=Jinghui|last6=Gore|first6=Jeff|date=2016-08-24|title=Resource Availability Modulates the Cooperative and Competitive Nature of a Microbial Cross-Feeding Mutualism|journal=PLOS Biology|volume=14|issue=8|pages=e1002540|doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002540|pmid=27557335|pmc=4996419|issn=1545-7885 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Ecological studies have hypothesised that [[Competition|competitive]] forces between animals are major in high [[carrying capacity]] zones (i.e. near the Equator), where biodiversity is higher, because of natural resources abundance. This abundance or excess of resources, causes animal populations to have [[R-strategist|R reproduction strategies]] (many offspring, short gestation, less parental care, and a short time until sexual maturity), so competition is affordable for populations. Also, competition could select populations to have R behaviour in a [[positive feedback]] regulation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cardillo|first=Marcel|date=January 2002|title=The life-history basis of latitudinal diversity gradients: how do species traits vary from the poles to the equator?|journal=Journal of Animal Ecology|volume=71|issue=1|pages=79–87|doi=10.1046/j.0021-8790.2001.00577.x|bibcode=2002JAnEc..71...79C |issn=0021-8790}}</ref>

Contrary, in low [[carrying capacity]] zones (i.e. far from the equator), where environmental conditions are harsh [[K strategist|K strategies]] are common (longer life expectancy, produce relatively fewer offspring and tend to be altricial, requiring extensive care by parents when young) and populations tend to have cooperative or [[Mutualism (biology)|mutualistic]] behaviors. If populations have a competitive behaviour in hostile environmental conditions they mostly are filtered out (die) by environmental selection, hence populations in hostile conditions are selected to be cooperative.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Population dynamics of mutualism and intraspecific density dependence: how θ-logistic density dependence affects mutualistic positive feedback|last1=Moore|first1=Christopher M.|last2=Catella|first2=Samantha A.|date=2017-02-13|last3=Abbott|first3=Karen C.|doi = 10.1101/108175|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Mutualism hypothesis was first described while [[Peter Kropotkin]] studied the fauna of the Siberian steppe, where environmental conditions are harsh, he found animals tend to cooperate in order to survive.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Simkhovitch|first1=Vladimir G.|last2=Kropotkin|first2=P.|date=December 1903|title=Mutual Aid a Factor of Evolution.|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=18|issue=4|pages=702|doi=10.2307/2140787|issn=0032-3195|jstor=2140787|bibcode=1903Natur..67..196F|s2cid=85558275}}</ref> Extreme competition is observed in the Amazonian forest where life requires low energy to find resources (i.e. sunlight for plants) hence life could afford being selected by biotic factors (i.e. competition) rather than abiotic factors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ganade|first1=Gislene|last2=Brown|first2=Valerie K.|date=March 2002|title=Succession in Old Pastures of Central Amazonia: Role of Soil Fertility and Plant Litter|journal=Ecology|volume=83|issue=3|pages=743|doi=10.2307/3071878|issn=0012-9658|jstor=3071878}}</ref>