Basic principles of biological evolution say the organism most suited for its environment will win out over other organisms and no two organisms can inhabit the same niche. Why is it then that planet earth houses such incredible biodiversity? Shouldn't there be a few dominant species and maybe some stragglers? Well, it turns out many species have been able to co-exist with other similarly functioning species by partitioning their resources. There are two ways this can be accomplished. First is through specialization. If in an ecosystem, there are different sizes of the same food then different organisms may slowly develop adaptions that would allow them to better capitalize on a specific part of that food. For example, some birds may develop beaks better designed for small seeds while others could go for large seeds. Both species are feeding on seeds, however, the size of the seed is divided. The second way is through broadening the food types. If there is an increase in variability of the necessary resource then more species can be included in the partitioning. It is important to keep in mind that neither of these methods is based on altruism. Life on earth always looks out for its best interest.
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