Given below are two statements:Statement I: Gause’s ‘Competitive Exclusion Principle’ states that two closely related species competing for the same resources cannot co-exist indefinitely and competitively inferior one will be eliminated eventually.Statement II: In general, carnivores are more adversely affected by competition than herbivores.In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer:
- ABoth Statement I and Statement II are true
- BBoth Statement I and Statement II are false
- CStatement I is correct but Statement II is false
- DStatement I is incorrect but Statement II is true
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
1. Statement I is true: This is the formal definition of Gause's principle, assuming resources are limiting.2. Statement II is false: Studies suggest that herbivores are more adversely affected by competition than carnivores, possibly because plant resources are often more consistently limited or prone to over-exploitation.