key term - Ecological Niche

Definition

An ecological niche refers to the role a species plays in its ecosystem, including its interactions with other organisms and its environment. It encompasses everything that affects the survival and reproduction of an organism, such as food preferences, predators, habitat type, etc.

Related terms

Habitat:

The physical environment where an organism lives. This is like the office or workspace where an employee does their job.

Competitive Exclusion Principle: A principle stating that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist if other ecological factors are constant. This is similar to two employees vying for one job position - only one can ultimately get it.

Resource Partitioning: The division of limited resources by species to help avoid competition in an ecological niche. Like different departments in a company handling different tasks to avoid overlap and increase efficiency.