The carp and snails can coexist in the same rice paddy because they practice niche differentiation or partition resources.
Resource partitioning or niche differentiation is a process of natural selection in which organisms competing for the same resources in the same environment are forced to use the same resources at different parts of the environment or in the same part but at different times.
By partitioning resources, organisms competing for the same resources are able to coexist. Otherwise, these organisms are not able to live in the same environment for long according to the competition exclusive theory which says that no two competing organisms can coexist indefinitely.
In the Asian rice paddy, both carp and snails feed on algae. However, the competition has been eliminated through resource partitioning. The carp eat around the base of rice plants while snails eat from the leaves and stems of rice plants.
More on resource partitioning can be found here: https://brainly.com/question/15686970
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