Habitat & Niches

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 1

 Habitat

• Type of environment in which a population

or species regularly lives.
– Physical and biotic environment
– Vegetation
• Forest, meadow, pasture, coniferous forest, etc.

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 2

 Habitat
• Habitats may be subdivided into layers or
zones
– Microhabitats
• Forest canopy: leaves, branches
• Shrub layer: leaves, branches, trunks
• Herb layer: leaves, stems, mosses, ferns
• Litter: dead fallen leaves, logs,
– Varies in depth, quality
• Soil: topsoil, subsoil

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 3

 Niche

• Species’/population’s role in its community

– Dimensions of a niche:
• Habitat & microhabitat (Space occupied)
• Food “spectrum,” essential nutrients
• Reproductive requirements
– Nutrition, nest/den sites
• Seasonality: When are resources required, used.

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 4

 Niche
• Fundamental niche
– All resources that could be used in absence of
competition.

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 5

 Niche
• Realized niche
– Resources actually used in presence of competitor.

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 6

 Niches
• Competitive exclusion
– When forced to
compete, one species
eliminates other(s)

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 7

 Niches
• Resource partitioning
avoids competition;
• Realized niches divide
resources among
several species.

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 8

 Niches
• Invasive species
competitively
exclude native
species
– Imported fire ant
– Kudzu
– Purple loosestrife
– Zebra mussel

23 Nov. 2010 Habitat.ppt 9