module 3.2

Question 1

what is the grand trade-off? (the niche)

Answer 1

-definitions and measurement
-resource utilization curves
-the niche in context

Question 2

what is the niche?

Answer 2

-a species-defined “space” where it can survive, grow and/or reproduce is in response to n-dimensional environmental factors
-niche dimension include resources (ex: food, habitat and light, etc) and conditions (ex: temperature, humidity, pH)
-G. E. Hutchinson (1957) described the niche as an n-dimensional hypervolume

Question 3

what is the devils hole pupfish?

Answer 3

-found only in the upper reaches of a single deep limestone cave in the Mojave Desert in the western U.S. state of Nevada
-the entire species lives on a shallow rock shelf measuring 3.3 by 4.8 meters (11 by 16 ft), making this the smallest known range of any vertebrate species on the planet

Question 4

what is the graph of resource utilization curves?

Answer 4

Question 5

what is the resource utilization curves?

Answer 5

Question 6

what is the niche of blue-gray gnatcatcher?

Answer 6

Question 7

what is niche?

Answer 7

-a species’ fundamental is the full range of conditions and resources under which it can survive and reproduce
-the realized niche is the portion of the fundamental niche that the species actually exploits

Question 8

what is the difference between fundamental and realized niche?

Answer 8

-fundamental= the full range of conditions and resources under which it can survive and reproduce
-realized=the portion of the fundamental niche that the species actually exploits