Competitive Exclusion Principle
When two species compete for identical resources in identical ways, the superior competitor eventually drives the inferior one to extinction locally.
When two species compete for identical resources in identical ways, the superior competitor eventually drives the inferior one to extinction locally. Complete niche overlap produces winner-take-all outcomes. Biodiversity persists because species evolve niche differentiation, spatial heterogeneity creates different local winners, temporal variation prevents permanent dominance, and predation/disturbance prevent dominant species from eliminating competitors.
Business Application of Competitive Exclusion Principle
Ecological escape mechanisms suggest business strategies for competing against dominant platforms: niche differentiation, geographic arbitrage, and waiting for market structure shifts through disruption or preference fragmentation.