Symbology from set theory applied to ecological systems: Gause's exclusion principle and applications

Abstract

We introduce a symbolic representation like set theory to consider ecologic interactions between species (ECOSET). The ecologic exclusion principle (Gause) is put in a symbolic way and used as operational tool to consider more complex cases like interaction with sterile species (SIT technique), two species with two superposed sources (niche differentiation) and N+P species competing by N resources, etc. Displacement (regional or characters) is also considered by using this basic tool. Our symbolic notation gives us an operative and easy way to consider elementary process in ecology. Some experimental data (laboratory or field) for ecologic process are re-considered under the optic of this set-theory.