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ECOLOGY THE COMPETITIVE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE G.F. Gause 1934 If two species, with the same niche, coexist in the same ecosystem, then one will be excluded from the community due to intense competition. The niche of a species consists of its role in the ecosystem (herbivore, carnivore, producer etc), its tolerance limits (e.g. soil pH, humidity) and requirements for shelter, nesting sites etc etc, all varying through time. In mathematical terms this can be represented by an n-dimensional hypervolume!
Example: Squirrels in Britain The Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is native to Britain but its population has declined due to competitive exclusion, disease and the disappearance of hazel coppices and mature conifer forests in lowland Britain. The Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) was introduced to Britain in about 30 sites between 1876 and 1929. It has easily adapted to parks and gardens replacing the red squirrel. Today’s distribution is shown below.
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© Paul Billiet 2012 |
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