EXCLUSION (Competitive)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1210 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented |
Two species which have identical ecological requirements cannot long coexist in a habitat.
This principle was introduced by G.F. GAUSE (1936).
J.de ROSNAY proposes to replace the notion of “natural selection” by the one of “competitive exclusion”. In his wording: “Self catalysis unavoidably triggers quick growth and acceleration; but altogether conflicts with the environment. The growing systems drain energy for their own use. When the environmental resources are limited, these systems start to compete with others. Some survive, others are eliminated.
- “In this perspective self catalysis and self selection become connected. Natural selection cannot anymore be confused with some arbitrary choice made from ”outside“ by a supranatural entity, nor even with an environment endowed with some hypothetical ”project“. The old notion of ”natural selection“ must thus be replaced by a more general one, which integrates duration and acceleration, namely ”competitive exclusion“ (1975, p.230).
Various growing systems can rival to obtain scarce resources of matter, energy and information and some of them may eliminate some others. However, in a global environment, they all finally depend on each others. Thus a succession of imperfect and transitional dynamic equilibria takes place among them all. Such a situation is found for example in ecology, as well as in economy and, as noted by de ROSNAY, is in accordance with ASHBY's Law of Requisite Variety.
The value of the principle seems thus quite general.