![]() ![]() A more exact definition of the CEP states that, in equilibrium, n number of sympatric species competing for a common set of limiting resources cannot stably coexist indefinitely on fewer than n number of resources. The basic idea behind the Competitive Exclusion Principle (CEP) is that species that have similar or identical niches cannot stably coexist in the same place for long periods of time when their common resources are limiting. As a more general conclusion, we suggest that accounts of causal explanation in biology have neglected some of the roles that non-causal laws play in restricting, sharpening, and facilitating causal explanations. These results contrast with previous analyses of the CEP by Eliot (2011) and Weber (1999), which are also discussed. Rather than being an explanans, the CEP acts as a contrastive principle sharpening causal explanations. Moreover, we argue that the CEP is not a causal explanans in explanations, because it is a coexistence law, not a causal law. We argue that the CEP is an empirically respectful and testable strict law that is not riddled with genuine exceptions. It has been argued that the CEP is a ceteris paribus law, a non-lawlike regularity riddled with exceptions, a tautology, a causal regularity, and so on. The lawlike and explanatory status of ecologists’ Competitive Exclusion Principle (CEP) is a debated topic. ![]() Received 18 February 2015 Revised Accepted 28 June 2015 Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. "The niche-relationships of the California Thrasher". CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list ( link) When plants and animals are introduced into a new environment, they can occupy the new niches or niches of native organisms, outcompete the indigenous species, and become a serious pest. For example, the niche that was left vacant by the extinction of the tarpan has been filled by other animals (in particular a small horse breed, the konik). Once a niche is left vacant, other organisms can fill into that position. The Australian grasslands species, though different from those of the Great Plains grasslands, occupy the same niche. It should be noted that Hutchinson's "niche" (a description of the ecological space occupied by a species) is subtly different from the "niche" as defined by Grinnell (an ecological role, that may or may not be actually filled by a species-see vacant niches).Äifferent species can hold similar niches in different locations and the same species may occupy different niches in different locations. The term adaptive zone was coined by George Simpson, and refers to a set of ecological niches that may be occupied by a group of species that exploit the same resources in a similar manner. Hutchinson a "hypervolume." This term defines the multi-dimensional space of resources (i.e., light, nutrients, structure, etc.) available to (and specifically used by) organisms. The ecological niche has also been termed by G.E. superior competitors), species are usually forced to occupy a niche that is narrower than this, and to which they are mostly highly adapted. ![]() As a result of pressure from, and interactions with, other organisms (e.g. The full range of environmental conditions (biological and physical) under which an organism can exist describes its fundamental niche. Hutchinson wanted to know why there are so many different types of organisms in any one habitat. The niche concept was popularized by the zoologist G. He is credited with saying: "hen an ecologist says 'there goes a badger,' he should include in his thoughts some definite idea of the animal's place in the community to which it belongs, just as if he had said, 'there goes the vicar.'" However, it was not until 1927 that Charles Sutherland Elton, a British ecologist, gave the first working definition of the niche concept. The term was coined by the naturalist Joseph Grinnell in 1917, in his paper "The niche relationships of the California Thrasher." The word "niche" is derived from the Middle French word nicher, meaning to nest. ![]() According to the competitive exclusion principle, no two species can occupy the same niche in the same environment for a long time. These factors may include descriptions of the organism's life history, habitat, trophic position (place in the food chain), and geographic range. The different dimensions, or plot axes, of a niche represent different biotic and abiotic variables. ![]()
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