 Paradox of the plankton

The Paradox of the Plankton refers to an ecological conundrum identified by G.E. Hutchinson in 1961 regarding the coexistence of a large number of planktonic algal species in aquatic ecosystems, particularly in the face of competition for limited resources. According to the competitive exclusion principle, two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist indefinitely; one species will typically outcompete the other.