“Two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist indefinitely and the competitively inferior one will be eliminated eventually.” This statement was given by:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Gause’s competitive exclusion principle
Competition is a process in which the fitness of one species falls because another species uses the same resources. Gause’s competitive exclusion principle states what happens when the resources are limited. Two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot live together for ever. The competitively inferior one is eliminated in the end.
(1) Malthus theory of population growth — Incorrect. Malthus wrote about how human populations grow and how food limits them. It is not a rule about two species that compete.
(2) Gause’s competitive exclusion principle — Correct. It is the statement given in the question.
(3) Verhulst-Pearl logistic growth — Incorrect. It describes how a single population grows when resources are limited. The growth curve is S-shaped and levels off at the carrying capacity.
(4) Darwin’s theory of natural selection — Incorrect. It says that individuals better suited to their surroundings survive and leave more offspring. It does not say that one of two competing species is eliminated.
NCERT Extract:
Population Interactions –
