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Nature 441, 417-418 (25 May 2006) | doi:10.1038/441417a; Published online 24 May 2006

Ecology: Paradox of the clumps

Sean Nee1 & Nick Colegrave1

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A fresh look at an established model in ecology has generated insights into how species coexist with each other. But it has also raised a vexed question: what constitutes the ecological identity of species?

Classical ecology discovered the principle of competitive exclusion — or, more pithily, 'one species, one niche'. In order to coexist, species must have their own individual way to make a living, otherwise the superior competitors would exclude the inferior.

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