Question

Which of the following is correct according to an exclusion principle?

(a) Both the organism competing for the resource exist

(b) The organism with slowest growth rate will displace the other

(c) The organism with fastest growth rate will displace the other

(d) Both organism will equally survive

The question was asked during a job interview.

This question is from Major Classes of Interactions in Mixed Cultures topic in section Mixed Cultures & Traditional Industrial Bioprocesses of Bioprocess Engineering

Answer 1

Right option is (c) The organism with fastest growth rate will displace the other

For explanation: The competitive exclusion principle, sometimes referred to as Gause’s Law of competitive exclusion or just Gause’s Law, states that two species that compete for the exact same resources cannot stably coexist. The organisms with the fastest growth rate will displace the others from the culture. This is known as the exclusion principle.