character displacement
Looking at different types of competition, ecologists developed the competitive exclusion principle . The principle states that species less suited to compete for resources will either adapt, move from the area, or die out. In order for two species within the same area to coexist, they may adapt by developing different specializations. This is known as character displacement . An example of character displacement is when different birds adapt to eating different types of food. They can develop different types of bills, like Darwins Finches Figure below . Therefore, competition for resources within and between species plays an important role in evolution through natural selection .