The Niche Concept

Question 1

What is a niche?

Answer 1

the role that an organism plays in an ecosystem

Question 2

What are biotic relationships?

Answer 2

• interspecific competition for resources
• what it eats
• what eats it

Question 3

What are abiotic relationships?

Answer 3

• shade it creates (tree)
• oxygen it uses or CO2 that it makes
• absorption of nitrates
• use of minerals e.g. nitrates

Question 4

Why do each species have their own niche?

Answer 4

• two species cannot have the same niche - if they did, they would compete
  for everything and one of them would become extinct
• they can have similar niches - this overlap causes interspecific competition e.g. blue tits and great tits - compete for food and resting
  sites
• the abundance of a species in an ecosystem will vary depending on how much competition for resources exists.
• the distribution of a species will vary - an organism can only exist where its niche exists e.g. blue tits - not found in antartica - no insects for them to eat, no trees
  to nest in, too cold