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

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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.

  1. Sean Nee and Nick Colegrave are at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK.
    Email: sean.nee@ed.ac.uk; Email: n.colegrave@ed.ac.uk

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