Habitat, environment and ecological niche are three distinct concepts.
Do you agree with this statement?
Could you explain your point of view?
[I’m a Brazilian biologist and writer. I write about science (mainly about population biology) and would like to know the opinion of colleagues from any field of scientific knowledge (and from other countries).]
See also Evolution, Darwinism and selection (https://www.researchgate.net/post/Evolution_Darwinism_and_selection).
Habitat is a place where an organism lives in nature.
Environment is the sum total of all physical, chemical, biotic and cultural factors that affects life of organism in any way.
Ecological niche is physical space occupied by an organism, its functional role in community and its position in environmental gradients including other conditions of existence. These three aspects of ecological niche are designated as follows:
(i) the spatial niche (physical space occupied)
(ii) the trophic niche (functional role i.e. trophic position); and
(iii) the multidimensional or hypervolume niche (position in the environmental gradients)
Habitat is a place where an organism lives in nature.
Environment is the sum total of all physical, chemical, biotic and cultural factors that affects life of organism in any way.
Ecological niche is physical space occupied by an organism, its functional role in community and its position in environmental gradients including other conditions of existence. These three aspects of ecological niche are designated as follows:
(i) the spatial niche (physical space occupied)
(ii) the trophic niche (functional role i.e. trophic position); and
(iii) the multidimensional or hypervolume niche (position in the environmental gradients)
I agree with Arvind. That is a very good answer. Also, niche is determined by habitat and environment :)
Habitat (noun) can be Defined as : habitat; plural noun: habitats "The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism."
"wild chimps in their natural habitat"
Synonyms: natural environment, natural element, natural territory, natural surroundings, natural terrain, home, domain, haunt; formal habitation, abode "a record of new plants in their native habitat" antonyms: unnatural surroundings
•Informal Habitat Definition is "a person's usual or preferred surroundings."
Environment (noun) can be Defined as : plural noun:
1. "The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
"survival in an often hostile environment"
Synonyms: habitat, territory, domain, home, abode; surroundings, conditions, environs, circumstances
"birds and mammals from a wide range of environments"
2. "The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity."
"the impact of pesticides on the environment"
Synonyms: the natural world, nature, the living world, the world, the earth, the ecosystem, the biosphere, Mother Nature, Gaia; wildlife, flora and fauna, the countryside, the landscape
"the impact of pesticides on the environment"
In ecology, a "niche is the fit of a species living under specific environmental conditions".The ecological niche describes
"how an organism or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (for example, by growing when resources are abundant, and when predators, parasites and pathogens are scarce) and how it in turn alters those same factors (for example, limiting access to resources by other organisms, acting as a food source for predators and a consumer of prey)". The type and number of variables comprising the dimensions of an environmental niche vary from one species to another the relative importance of particular environmental variables for a species may vary according to the geographic and biotic contexts".
Yes Indeed Habitat, environment and ecological niche are three distinct concepts having some similarities. Regards
Dear Felipe,
I'm in full agreement with Arvind, and have just a tiny comment to the definition of habitat. It has one more meaning in ecology, which is connected to the previous one. Habitat is a phytosociological level, above association, under biome. Some ecologists use this term a lot, others do not like it. In Hungary, it is a widely used and preferred level. Some literatures from my country:
Article A GRID-based, satellite-image supported, multi-attributed ve...
Article Distribution of the (semi-) natural habitats in Hungary I. M...
Article Distribution of the (semi-)natural habitats in Hungary II. W...
Article Implementation and application of multiple potential natural...
Best wishes,
Ákos
Dear Felipe,
Please take a look at Ricklefs'book "Ecology, the economy of nature", pages 15 and 17:
-habitat: the place or physical setting in which an organism lives
-niche: the range of abiotic and biotic conditions that an organism can tolerate
Environment is a more complex concept
See the book by Raven and Berg: "Environment"
Environment often refers to human activities and can include ecology, economy and history (of societies and ecosystems).
Best,
Guy
I´m in fully agreement with Arvind and he gave a very good opinion.
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Ecology