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Competition, Coexistence, and Evolution

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Essays in Evolution and Genetics in Honor of Theodosius Dobzhansky

Abstract

One of the basic questions in ecology is the relationship between species living at the same trophic level, and in particular the relationship between species that may compete for the available resources of food and places to live. One generalization relevant to this problem is known as the competitive exclusion principle, or Gause’s principle. According to this principle, two species competing for the same limited resources cannot coexist in the same locality; that is, one or the other species will sooner or later be eliminated. Considerable disagreement exists among ecologists concerning the validity and the importance of this principle. It is my purpose to show that the principle of competitive exclusion cannot be defended in its generality: two species may compete for limited resources and still coexist. Some of the conditions that allow competitive coexistence are discussed in the latter part of this paper. An investigation of the concepts of ecological niche and competition, which are essential for a precise formulation of the principle of competitive exclusion, precedes the consideration of the principle itself, and of the Volterra equations for species competition, which constitute the mathematical foundation of the principle.

Supported by PHS career development award K3 GM37265 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and by contract AT-(30-1)-3096, U. S. Atomic Energy Commission.

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  1. The Rockefeller University, New York, N.Y., USA

    Francisco J. Ayala

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queens College, USA

    Max K. Hecht

  2. The New York Botanical Garden, USA

    William C. Steere

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Ayala, F.J. (1970). Competition, Coexistence, and Evolution. In: Hecht, M.K., Steere, W.C. (eds) Essays in Evolution and Genetics in Honor of Theodosius Dobzhansky. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9585-4_4

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