Unit 2 - Topic 5 - Parasitism - Section A - Part I - Niche Flashcards
1
Q
What is an ecological niche
A
A multi-dimensional summary of tolerances and requirements of a species
2
Q
What is a fundamental niche
A
A species has a fundamental niche that it occupies in the absence of any interspecific competition
3
Q
What is a realised niche
A
It is occupied in response to interspecific competition
4
Q
What is competitive exclusion
A
As a result of interspecific competition, competitive exclusion can occur, where the niches of two species are so similar that one declines to local extinction
5
Q
When and how can competitors co-exist
A
Where the realised niches are sufficiently
different, potential competitors can co-exist by resource partitioning
