What is competitive exclusion?

Competitive exclusion refers to a principle in ecology that states that two species competing for the same limited resources cannot coexist at constant population values. When one species outcompetes another for resources such as food, space, or other environmental factors, the less competitive species will either be driven to extinction in that niche or will have to move to a different niche where it can survive. This process ultimately leads to the complete elimination of one species in that competitive environment, allowing the other species to thrive without competition.

The concept highlights how competition can determine the distribution and abundance of different species in an ecosystem. The competitive exclusion principle is crucial for understanding how biodiversity is structured in various habitats and the importance of resource availability in ecological communities. Thus, the understanding of competitive exclusion is a fundamental concept when studying species interactions and community dynamics in biology.