Community

Ecology:
Habitats
and Niches

https://pxhere.com/en/photo/841970
Learning Outcome
• At the end of the
lesson, the students
are expected to:
• Describe the
fundamentals of
community ecology,
giving emphasis on the
habitat and niches
among organisms
 Outline
• Definition of Community Ecology

• What is a Habitat

• What is a Niche
• Fundamental Niche
• Realized Niche
• Niche Overlap
• Resource Partitioning
• Competition and Niche
• Niche and Resources
• Carrying Capacity
 What is Community Ecology?
•Community ecology, study of the
organization and functioning
of communities, which are
assemblages of interacting populations
of the species living within a particular
area or habitat.*

https://www.britannica.com/science/community-ecology
https://www.enewser.com/science/the-fastest-animals-in-the-world/
What is a Habitat?
o Organisms require certain
things in order to survive such
as food, light, shelter,
and water.
o An organism’s habitat is the
area where it can survive
because it has
these requirements in large
enough amounts to support
populations of the organism.
o A habitat is the
environment where
an organism lives.
o It could be
arboreal, terrestrial, aerial,
aquatic, etc.
 What is a Niche?
• Pronounced “N-itch”
• A niche is an organism’s
way of life. In includes the
habitat, the food it
eats, and all other
organisms it interacts with.
• Another way to think
about it is
the organism’s job.
• Often a specific niche
leads to evolution of
similar traits.

https://www.readworks.org/article/A-Little-about-Ants/dba7aced-
c823-457e-95f7-6f4793320230#!articleTab:content/
 Fundamental
Niche
• All resources
that could be
used in
absence
of competition.
 Realized Niche
• Resources actually
used in
the presence of
competitors.
What Happens when Niches Overlap?

• When the niche of two

species overlaps , competition is
apparent.
Competition is
Expensive!!!
o Organisms try to avoid it
by getting M.A.D., they
would prefer to:
o Move
o Adapt
o Die
Resource Partitioning
o It helps competing species share
a resource.
o Occurs when species
require different parts of the same
resource.
 Competition and Niches
• Competitive exclusion
o If two species, with the same niche,
coexist in the same ecosystem, then
one will be excluded from
the community due to intense
competition.
The Grey Squirrel ​ The Red Squirrel ​ in lowland Britain.
​ ​
• The Red Squirrel is native
to Britain, but its population
has declined due
to competitive exclusion, disease
and the disappearance of hazel
coppices and mature conifer forests
• The Grey Squirrel -
was introduced to Britain in about
30 sites between 1876 and 1929.
It has easily adapted to
parks and gardens replacing the red
squirrel.
Niche and
Resources
• Resource
partitioning avoids
competition;
• Realized niches
divide resources
(insects) among
several species
• woodpeckers, nuth
atches, & creepers.
• Each species evolved
& adapted to
specialized diet.
However......
•While there are many habitats on the
Earth, not all organisms can live in one
habitat. Each habitat has a limiting
factor.​
• The limiting factor is one or
more resources that controls the
amount of organisms in the
habitat.​
Carrying Capacity
• Since every habitat has a limited
number of
resources, scientists are able
to establish a carrying
capacity for each area.
• The carrying capacity is
the maximum number of
organisms that can survive
over a long period of time
in one area.
• Because there are limits like this
to any habitat, organisms begin
to compete for resources.
Conclusion
• Habitat is a set of the
place of environmental
conditions in which
particular organism
lives and adapt the
situation accordingly.
A niche is nothing but
an idea or role played
by organisms that how
they can live in an
environment including
their diet, shelter, etc.
Questions?
 Thank You
for
Listening :)
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
References
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/
community-ecosystem-ecology/a/niches-competition
https://sciencing.com/ecological-niche-definition-types-
importance-examples-13719219.html