Principle of Competitive Exclusion and Drosophila

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