Niche Flashcards
1
Q
What is the definition of a niche?
A
The niche of an organism is the functional role that it plays within an ecosystem
2
Q
What is an ecological niche?
A
It is a multi-dimentional summary of tolerance and requirements of a species
3
Q
What is a fundamental niche?
A
A species has a fundamental niche that it occupies in the absence of any interspecific competition
4
Q
What is a realised niche?
A
A realised niche is occupied in response to interspecific competition
5
Q
What happens as a result of interspecific competition?
A
Competitive exclusion can occur, where the niches of two species are so similar that one declines to local extinction
6
Q
What happens where the realised niches are sufficiently different?
A
The potential competitors can co-exist by resource partitioning
