Niche (Edexcel International A Level Biology)

• The place where a species lives is known as its habitat
• Species will occupy a specific niche within a habitat
• The term niche can be defined as the role of a species within its habitat
• The role of a species includes
  • What it eats
  • Which other species depend on it for food
  • What time of day a species is active
  • Exactly where in a habitat a species lives
  • Exactly where in a habitat a species feeds
• No two species can fill the same niche within a habitat; if this ever happens the two species will be in direct competition with each other for resources, and one of the two species will out-compete the other, causing it to die out in that particular habitat
  • It can sometimes seem as though species are occupying the same niche, but there will still be subtle differences in their role; e.g. they might feed at different times of day, or have different food sources
• The niche filled by a species determines its abundance within a habitat
  • The term abundance can be defined as the number of individuals of a particular species living in a habitat
  • If two species occupy a similar niche within a habitat they will be competing with each other, so their populations will be smaller, and their abundance will therefore be lower
• The niche filled by a species determines its distribution
  • The term distribution can be defined as where a species lives
  • Species can only survive in habitats to which they are well adapted; if they are not well suited to a habitat's biotic and abiotic factors then they will move to a more suitable habitat and their distribution will change

Feeding location is an example of a feature that may differ between niches.