 Two lichens on a rock, in two different ecological niches In ecology, a niche (pronounced "nich," "neesh" or "nish")[1] is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem[1]. A shorthand definition is that a niche is how an organism makes a living. The ecological niche describes how an organism or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (e. g., by growing when resources are abundant, and predators, parasites and pathogens are scarce) and how it in turn alters those same factors (e.g., limiting access to resources by other organisms, acting as a food source for predators and a consumer of prey)[2]. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 425 KB) fr: Lichens sur un rocher Auteur : Johann Dréo (User:Nojhan) Date : 10 août 2005 Notes : Deux espèces de lichens prises sur un rocher, à Meneham, Bretagne, Finistère, France. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1200x1600, 425 KB) fr: Lichens sur un rocher Auteur : Johann Dréo (User:Nojhan) Date : 10 août 2005 Notes : Deux espèces de lichens prises sur un rocher, à Meneham, Bretagne, Finistère, France. ...
For other uses, see Lichen (disambiguation). ...
For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ...
For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ...
A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ...
[edit] Parameters The different dimensions, or plot axes, of a niche represent different biotic and abiotic variables. These factors may include descriptions of the organism's life history, habitat, trophic position (place in the food chain), and geographic range. According to the competitive exclusion principle, no two species can occupy the same niche in the same environment for a long time[citation needed]. Life history refers to a variety of methods and techniques that are used for conducting qualitative interviews. ...
Habitat (which is Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species live and grow. ...
Food chains, food webs and/or food networks describe the feeding relationships between species to another within an ecosystem. ...
The competitive exclusion principle, sometimes referred to as Gauses Law of competitive exclusion or just Gauses Law, states that two species that compete for the exact same resources cannot stably coexist. ...
The word "niche" is derived from the Middle French word nicher, meaning to nest. The term was coined by the naturalist Joseph Grinnell in 1917, in his paper "The niche relationships of the California Thrasher."[3] However, it was not until 1927 that Charles Sutherland Elton, a British ecologist, gave the first working definition of the niche concept. He is credited with saying: "[W]hen an ecologist says 'there goes a badger,' he should include in his thoughts some definite idea of the animal's place in the community to which it belongs, just as if he had said, 'there goes the vicar.'"[4] Middle French (French: ) is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly) 1340 to 1611 [1]. It is a period of transition during which: the French language becomes clearly distinguished from the other competing Oïl languages which are sometimes subsumed within the concept of...
Joseph Grinnell (1877 - 1939) was a field biologist and zoologist. ...
Charles Sutherland Elton (29 March 1900 – 1 May 1991) was an English biologist. ...
An ecologist studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment. ...
For other uses, see Badger (disambiguation). ...
The niche concept was popularized by the zoologist G. Evelyn Hutchinson in 1958[5]. Hutchinson wanted to know why there are so many different types of organisms in any one habitat. G. Evelyn Hutchinson holding a baby potto George Evelyn Hutchinson (born January 30, 1903, died May 17, 1991) was an Anglo-American zoologist known for his studies of freshwater lakes and considered the father of modern limnology. ...
The full range of environmental conditions (biological and physical) under which an organism can exist describes its fundamental niche. As a result of pressure from, and interactions with, other organisms (e.g. superior competitors), species are usually forced to occupy a niche that is narrower than this, and to which they are mostly highly adapted. This is termed the realized niche. The ecological niche has also been termed by G.E. Hutchinson a "hypervolume." This term defines the multi-dimensional space of resources (i.e., light, nutrients, structure, etc.) available to (and specifically used by) organisms. The term adaptive zone was coined by George Simpson, and refers to a set of ecological niches that may be occupied by a group of species that exploit the same resources in a similar manner. (After Root, 1967.)[citation needed] For other uses, see Adaptation (disambiguation). ...
Realized Niche Width is a phrase relating to ecology defining the actual space that an organism inhabits. ...
G. Evelyn Hutchinson holding a baby potto George Evelyn Hutchinson (born January 30, 1903, died May 17, 1991) was an Anglo-American zoologist known for his studies of freshwater lakes and considered the father of modern limnology. ...
It should be noted that Hutchinson's "niche" (a description of the ecological space occupied by a species) is subtly different from the "niche" as defined by Grinnell (an ecological role, that may or may not be actually filled by a species—see vacant niches). The issue of what exactly defines a vacant niche and whether or not they exist in Ecosystems is the subject of some considerable controversy. ...
Different species can hold similar niches in different locations and the same species may occupy different niches in different locations. The Australian grasslands species, though different from those of the Great Plains grasslands, occupy the same niche.[6] Once a niche is left vacant, other organisms can fill into that position. For example, the niche that was left vacant by the extinction of the tarpan has been filled by other animals (in particular a small horse breed, the konik). When plants and animals are introduced into a new environment, they can occupy the new niches or niches of native organisms, outcompete the indigenous species, and become a serious pest. Trinomial name Equus ferus ferus Boddaert, 1785 The Tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. ...
The konik is a small Polish horse, a kind of wild pony. ...
[edit] See also The term niche differentiation (synonymous with niche segregation and niche separation), as it applies to the field of ecology, refers to the process by which natural selection drives competing species into different patterns of resource use or different niches. ...
In evolutionary biology, fitness landscapes or adaptive landscapes are used to visualize the relationship between genotypes (or phenotypes) and replicatory success. ...
Habitat (which is Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species live and grow. ...
[edit] References Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...
is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...
is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
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