Two species occupy partially overlapping fundamental niches.
According to the competitive exclusion principle, the most likely outcome is:
- A
Both species occupy identical niches indefinitely
- B
They form a mutualistic relationship
- C
Both species go extinct
- Dcheck_circle
One species is competitively excluded or both shift to realized niches
Explanation
Gause's competitive exclusion principle states that two species with identical niches cannot coexist; one will be excluded or character displacement / niche shift will reduce overlap.