Stase, metamorphis and competition in insects and other arthropods.

Based on the state concept and derived from the Gause model, a new and simple model is proposed to describe the competition between species with complex life cycles (CLCs). Two such species are shown to be able to coexist within the same limited space depending on the population parameters and environment capacity. It is suggested that the metamorphosis and other CLCs would have developed as an inevitable effect of minimizing constraints due to competition and would be a key factor in the diversification of insects and other arthropods.