Abstract
THE Volterra–Gause equations1—the mathematical formulation of the principle of competitive exclusion2—are where r1 is the intrinsic rate of increase of species 1, N1 is its population size, and K1 is the expected value of N1 in single species culture. The constants α and β, the coefficients of competition, denote the relative effect of the abundance of one species on the population growth rate of the other. These relationships imply that for a stable competitive equilibrium to obtain it is necessary that
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References
Gause, G. F., The Struggle for Existence (Williams and Wilkins. Baltimore, 1934).
Hardin, G., Science, 131, 1292 (1960).
Ayala, F. J., Nature, 224, 1076 (1969).
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BOROWSKY, R. Principle of Competitive Exclusion and Drosophila. Nature 230, 409–410 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1038/230409a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/230409a0
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