Nature 230, 409 - 410 (09 April 1971); doi:10.1038/230409a0

Principle of Competitive Exclusion and Drosophila

RICHARD BOROWSKY

Department of Biology, New York University, Bronx, New York 10453

THE Volterra–Gause equations¹—the mathematical formulation of the principle of competitive exclusion²—are where r ₁ is the intrinsic rate of increase of species 1, N ₁ is its population size, and K ₁ is the expected value of N ₁ in single species culture. The constants and , 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

References

1.	Gause, G. F. , The Struggle for Existence (Williams and Wilkins. Baltimore, 1934).
2.	Hardin, G. , Science, 131, 1292 (1960). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
3.	Ayala, F. J. , Nature, 224, 1076 (1969). | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |