Given below are two statements: Statement I: Gause's competitive exclusion principle states that two closely related species competing for different resources cannot exist indefinitely. Statement II: According to Gause's principle, during competition, the inferior will be eliminated. This may be true if resources are limiting. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below: (NEET 2024)
Answer: (C) Statement I is false but Statement II is true.. Answer: (C) Statement I is false but Statement II is true.
- A.Both Statement I and Statement II are false.
- B.Statement I is true but Statement II is false.
- C.Statement I is false but Statement II is true.✓
- D.Both Statement I and Statement II are true.
Correct Answer
(C) Statement I is false but Statement II is true.
Solution & Explanation
Answer: (C) Statement I is false but Statement II is true. Statement I is WRONG: Gause's Competitive Exclusion Principle concerns species competing for the SAME (not 'different') resources — two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist indefinitely. Statement II is CORRECT: the competitively inferior species is eliminated, and NCERT explicitly qualifies that this holds 'if resources are limiting, but not otherwise.' Hence I false, II true → option C. NCERT: Ch 11, p.199, lines 30-33 — "Gause’s ‘Competitive Exclusion Principle’ states that two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist indefinitely and the competitively inferior one will be eliminated eventually. This may be true if resources are limiting, but not otherwise."