Information about Competitive Exclusion Principle
In community ecology, the competitive exclusion principle[1], sometimes referred to as Gause's Law of competitive exclusion or just Gause's Law[2], is a theory which states that two species competing for the same resources cannot stably coexist. Either of the two competitors will always have an advantage over the other that leads to either the extinction of the inferior competitor or its evolutionary shift towards a different ecological niche.
Experimental basis
Georgii Frantsevich Gause formulated the law of competitive exclusion based on laboratory competition experiments using two species of Paramecium. Following a lag phase, one species was able consistently to drive the other to extinction.Prediction
Competitive exclusion is predicted by a number of mathematical and theoretical models, such as the Lotka-Volterra models of competition. However, for reasons that are poorly understood, competitive exclusion is rarely observed in natural ecosystems, and many biological communities appear to violate Gause's Law. The best known example is the paradox of the plankton (or short diversity paradox): All plankton species live on a very limited number of resources, primarily solar energy and minerals that are dissolved in the water. According to the competitive exclusion principle, only a small number of plankton species should be able to coexist on these resources. Nevertheless, large numbers of plankton species coexist within small regions of open sea.Paradoxical traits
A partial solution to the paradox lies in raising the dimensionality of the system. Spatial heterogeneity, multiple resource competition, competition-colonization trade-offs, and lag prevent exclusion (ignoring stochastic extinction over longer time-frames). However, such systems tend to be analytically intractable. In addition, many can theoretically support an unlimited number of species. A new paradox is created: Most well-known models that allow for stable coexistence allow for unlimited number of species to coexist, yet in nature, any community contains just a handful of species.Re-definition
Recent studies that address some of the assumptions made for the models predicting competitive exclusion have shown that these assumptions need to be reconsidered. For example, a slight modification of the assumption of how growth and body size are related leads to a different conclusion, namely that for a given ecosystem a certain range of species may coexist while others become outcompeted[3].References
1. ^ Hardin, G. (1960). The Competitive Exclusion Principle. Science 131, 1292-1297.
2. ^ Gause, G. F. (1934). The struggle for existence. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.
3. ^ Rastetter, E. B. & Ågren, G. I. (2002). Changes in individual allometry can lead to coexistence without niche separation. Ecosystems 5, 789-801.
2. ^ Gause, G. F. (1934). The struggle for existence. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.
3. ^ Rastetter, E. B. & Ågren, G. I. (2002). Changes in individual allometry can lead to coexistence without niche separation. Ecosystems 5, 789-801.
- Vaurie, Charles (1950): Notes from the Walter Koelz Collections, Number 6. Notes on some Asiatic nuthatches and creepers. American Museum Novitates 1472: 1-39. PDF fulltext
Community ecology is a subdiscipline of ecology which studies the distribution, abundance, demography, and interactions between coexisting populations. Interactions between populations, determined by specific genotypic and phenotypic characteristics, is the primary focus of
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Georgii Frantsevitch Gause (Георгий Францевич Гаузе) (December 27, 1910–May 4, 1986), more correctly transliterated but less often spelled Gauze
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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Competition can be defined as an interaction between organisms or species, in which the fitness of one is lowered by the presence of another. Limited supply of at least one resource (such as food, water, and territory) used by both is required.
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niche (pronounced nich, neesh or nish)[] is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem[1]. The ecological niche describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (e. g.
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Georgii Frantsevitch Gause (Георгий Францевич Гаузе) (December 27, 1910–May 4, 1986), more correctly transliterated but less often spelled Gauze
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Paramecium
Müller, 1773
Species
Paramecium tetraurelia
Paramecium aurelia
Paramecium caudatum
Paramecium is a group of unicellular ciliate protozoa formerly known as slipper animalcules from their slipper shape.
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Müller, 1773
Species
Paramecium tetraurelia
Paramecium aurelia
Paramecium caudatum
Paramecium is a group of unicellular ciliate protozoa formerly known as slipper animalcules from their slipper shape.
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The Lotka-Volterra equations, also known as the predator-prey equations, are a pair of first order, non-linear, differential equations frequently used to describe the dynamics of biological systems in which two species interact, one a predator and one its prey.
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ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all the non-living physical factors of the environment.
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In aquatic biology, the paradox of the plankton is the name given to the situation where a limited range of resources (light, nutrients) supports a much wider range of planktonic organisms.
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Plankton are any drifting organism that inhabits the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. It is a description of life-style rather than a genetic classification.
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Solar energy is energy from the sun. It supports life on Earth and drives the Earth's weather. Solar energy predominantly arrives in the form of infrared, visible and ultraviolet light, and is either returned back to space or is absorbed.
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Heterogeneous (American English)) means that something (an object or system) consists of a diverse range of different items. It is the antonym of , which means that an object or system consists of many identical items.
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Garrett James Hardin (April 21, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was a leading and controversial ecologist from Dallas, Texas, who was most known for his 1968 paper, The Tragedy of the Commons.
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Georgii Frantsevitch Gause (Георгий Францевич Гаузе) (December 27, 1910–May 4, 1986), more correctly transliterated but less often spelled Gauze
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