Talk:Paradox of the plankton

Why is this a paradox?
I am no biologist and I have some difficulty in understanding the use of the word "paradox" when comparing two experiments conducted in environmental conditions that seem to be very different. In Gause's experiment it seems that the system is closed and the two bacterial species do not only have to fight for food, but also for space. Just the simple fact that any organism occupies some volume in space should indicate that reproduction is constrained not only by the available nutritional resources but also by the available "free space". If saturation constrains chemical reactions, why should this not be true for biological ones? On the other hand, in the Ocean there is no space limitation. Could anybody please explain in detail the conditions of Gause's experiment? Thanks.--Marcellot (talk) 12:47, 19 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Discussion can be found at talk:competitive exclusion principle. Paradoctor (talk) 11:12, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

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