Types of Niche

The various types of niche are:

Fundamental Niche

• A species’ habitat includes the environmental conditions and resources required for its survival and reproduction.
• Abiotic (temperature, humidity, pH, soil composition) and biotic (prey availability, interspecific interactions) factors affect ecosystems.
• The physiological tolerances and resource requirements of a species in the absence of competition.
• Can vary spatially and temporally due to habitat heterogeneity and environmental fluctuations.
• The fundamental niche of a species to occupy a range of ecological niches within its ecosystem.

Also Read: Components of Ecosystem – Biotic and Abiotic

Realized Niche

• Represents the actual environmental conditions and resources a species effectively utilizes in its habitat.
• Often narrower than the fundamental niche due to biotic interactions, competition, predation, and resource availability.
• Reflects the subset of the fundamental niche that a species occupies in reality, considering constraints imposed by the environment and other species.
• Provides insights into species’ ecological roles, distribution patterns, and interactions within ecosystems.

Habitat or Spatial Niche

In ecology, the habitat or spatial niche refers to the specific environmental conditions and resources required by a particular species for survival and reproduction. It includes factors such as temperature, humidity, food availability, and shelter. Organisms evolve to occupy specific niches within their habitats. They adapt to utilize available resources efficiently while minimizing competition with other species.

The habitat of a millipede community under a fallen log in a forest is influenced by the age and disturbance of the logs, creating varied niches for different species. The maple-oak vegetation dominates the forest floor, and various millipede species occupy different niches such as under the log, beneath the bark, or under the leaf litter.

Trophic Niche

The trophic niche refers to the role of an organism within its ecosystem in terms of its feeding habits, interactions with other species, and its position in the food web. Two species can occupy the same habitat but have different functional roles or trophic positions due to their different food habits.

For example, in a pond, the aquatic birds Corixa and Notonecta live in different trophic niches. Notonecta is an active predator that swims to feed on other animals, while Corixa feeds mostly on decaying vegetation.

Multifactor or Hypervolume Niche

The multifactor or hypervolume niche concept in ecology refers to a multidimensional space where species occupy specific combinations of environmental conditions and resources. Niche is the adaptation of organisms to environmental factors. Hutchinson (1957) described it as an n-dimensional hypervolume, with n representing the number of environmental factors affecting a specific organism in a space.

Niche in ecology stands for an organism’s specific role or position within its ecosystem. The niche includes the animal’s habitat, interactions with other organisms, and its contribution to ecosystem function and stability. Understanding the niche types and examples helps us learn how different organisms interact with their environment and how ecological communities are structured. This article will cover the niche meaning, types, and examples of niches in detail.