Competitive Exclusion
The principle that two species competing for exactly the same resources cannot coexist indefinitely. One will outcompete and displace the other. Also called Gause's Law.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 4 chapters:
"...tegory share operational synergies (economies of scale), but categories are operationally distinct. Preventing Radiation Failure: Extinction and Competitive Exclusion Adaptive radiations can fail: species go extinct, diversity declines, niches are lost to competitors."
"...- low but constant. Background extinctions result from ordinary selective pressures: - Competition: Superior competitors displace inferior ones (competitive exclusion). - Predation/disease: Predators or pathogens drive prey/host populations to extinction. - Environmental change: Gradual climate shifts, sea ..."
"Within cities, leading platforms often achieve 60-80% share while followers struggle with low utilization and driver churn. Biological Parallel: Competitive Exclusion Principle: Ecology provides insight into winner-take-all dynamics through the competitive exclusion principle: when two species compete for identi..."
"...t and amplify each other. Start with the portfolio effect: species fluctuate asynchronously, stabilizing total abundance. This stabilization reduces competitive exclusion (dominant species can't grow abundant enough to exclude subordinates), which maintains diversity, which maintains response diversity."
Biological Context
In laboratory experiments, Paramecium aurelia always outcompeted P. caudatum when competing for the same bacterial food source. In nature, complete exclusion is rare because species differentiate niches. The principle explains why ecological niches are distinct and why identical competitors cannot coexist.
Business Application
Business competitive exclusion: identical competitors in the same market cannot coexist long-term. One wins, or both differentiate. This explains why mature markets have few direct competitors and many specialists. Successful companies either win their niche or find a different one.