What does Niche mean in terms of Ecology?
Niche does not mean a small space, not in ecology. It means both the space and the role that a species have within an ecosystem: “The ecological niche of an organism depends not only on where it lives but also on what it does (how it transforms energy, behaves, responds to and modifies its physical and biotic environment) and how it is constrained by other organisms.” – E.P. Odum, Fundamentals of Ecology, 3rd edition, p. 234. Odum, one of the most famous ecologists went on to say, “it may be said that a habitat is the organism’s address, and the niche is its ‘profession’…” (Source: same page).
A niche is a species’ ‘role’ in a community. Introduced initially as a synonym of ‘habitat’, but now used with a more functional interpretation incorporating relationships of a species with food, natural enemies, and other environmental attributes-the understanding that a species’ niche is in part the outcome of relationships with other species. Example: A priest’s niche is in a church, Paris Hilton’s niche includes jail and Holywood, and Reverend Right’s niche was in an anti-white/American church. (No disrespect intended. I just wanted to get my point across along with a couple of chuckles.
It’s organisms that live in the same area and use the same resources. However, in nature, two species cannot occupy the same niche in one community. This is because of the competition for resources. Therefore, if two species occupy the same niche either: 1. One of the two species (the less fit one) will become extinct. 2. One of the two species will evolve through natural selection to exploit different resources. This is called resource partitioning. 3. One of the two species will evolve different body structures so that it eats different foods and such. (eg. the Galapagos finches) This is called character displacement.