Ecological niche
Ecological Niche
Ecological niche (pronunciation: /iːkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl niːʃ/) is a term used in Ecology to describe the role and position a species has in its environment. It includes what necessary resources it consumes, its behavior, and how it interacts with other organisms.
Etymology
The term "niche" comes from the Old French word nicher, meaning to nest. The term "ecological niche" was coined by the British ecologist G. Evelyn Hutchinson in 1957.
Definition
An ecological niche refers to the specific position occupied by an organism in an ecosystem. This includes everything that affects its survival and reproduction such as biophysical conditions, interactions with other species, and the availability of resources.
Related Terms
- Habitat: The physical environment in which a species lives. It is often confused with an ecological niche, but while a habitat is the 'address', the niche is the 'profession' of a species.
- Competitive exclusion principle: Also known as Gause's law, it states that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist.
- Fundamental niche: The set of environmental conditions under which a species can survive and reproduce.
- Realized niche: The set of conditions actually used by given animal, after interactions with other species have been taken into account.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Ecological niche
- Wikipedia's article - Ecological niche
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