Habitat is the physical place that occupies an organism or several. The ecological niche is the strategy that uses a species to survive in the habitat or the place that occupies a species within the habitat in which it lives, its role in this.
Any individual of any animal species that inhabits our planet, survives, grows and reproduces in its particular ecosystem, always within limits. That is why in ecology, when we talk about these organisms and the environment in which they live, we use the terms of habitat and ecological niche. Both terms refer to different things, but often, synonymous terms for people in general are.
In this ecology article, we clarify the difference between habitat and ecological niche with examples of each one.
What is the habitat of a species
The habitat is defined as the physical place occupied by the organism itself And it is a very generally used definition to define where a species is located. In turn, the habitat of an organism is characterized by conditions within certain limits and resources. When selecting their habitat, the species choose the most appropriate or the one that allows their survival. Thus, the habitat that occupies a certain organism, It depends on what is capable of colonizing and dispersing.
What is the ecological niche of a species
The ecological niche is the strategy that uses a certain species to survive in that habitat or ecosystem, that is, your way to obtain foodestablish skills with other species, hunt or escape predators. In short, the ecological niche is a functional definition of the place that occupies a species within the habitat in which he lives, that is, Your role. Within this definition, we also take into account how the different environmental conditions and the presence of other species on the aforementioned factors influence.
The real effective niche or niche is different as all the conditions and resources that allow a population to remain viable in that ecosystem despite the presence of predators and other competitors, that is, taking into account the interactions with other species and the fundamental or ecological niche potential such as the one that only takes into account the potential of a species, without considering the interactions with other species, for example, in the case of the feeding. feed
Main differences between habitat and ecological niche
In short, the main difference between habitat and ecological niche is that The habitat is the place where species live and the ecological niche is the role they have in this habitat To develop and survive. For example, the lions live in the African savanna, that is their habitat, and they are carnivores predators, that is the ecological niche or role they have in this place of nature.
According to this definition, An habitat can be inhabited by individuals of different speciesbut each of them will have a certain ecological nichewhich is unique. Thus, it can be distinguished, for example, in the same habitat, pollinators, scavengers, photosynthetic organisms, decomponers, etc.
However, Two species can enter interspecific competition when they occupy very similar or equal ecological niches. For example, one of the problems of invasive species is that, when they are established in an ecosystem, they sometimes begin to compete with other native species by the same ecological niche, being able to displace them and thus affecting other individuals who live in that ecosystem, thus producing an imbalance in natural ecosystems. Here you can read about interspecific competition: what is, characteristics and examples.
Ecological Habitat and Niche Examples
- Anaconda Verde (Eunectes Murinus): Inhabits the humid tropical jungles of South America, such as the Amazon jungle, and occupies its niche as an omnivorous predator in flooded floors and areas. Did you know that it is the largest snake in the world regarding weight?
- Bactrian camel (Botrianus camels): This camelid lives in very arid areas of the Asian continent and occupies its niche as herbivorous, although it has also been domesticated.
- European peirrojo (Erithacus rubecula): Live in piceas, parks and gardens forests of Europe, Asia and areas of Africa and occupies its niche feeding on small invertebrates, berries or seeds.
- Earthworm (Terrestrial lumbricus): Inhabits the earth and occupies his niche as a decomposing, improving soil quality through his perforations and serving as food to other species. If you want to know more curiosities about this animal, here we tell you how many hearts a worm has.
- Blue whale (BALENAPTERA MUSCULUS): Live in cold waters of the Arctic, indicated and pacific and occupies his niche as a filter, feeding on crustaceans like the Krill. The blue whale has no predators (except man).
- Krill (Meganyctiphanes Norvegica): Inhabits Antarctic oceans and occupies his niche feeding on phytoplankton and microscopic algae. In addition, it constitutes the base of many trophic chains.
- Panda bear (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca): Inhabits Asia mountainous regions, mainly China, 3,500 meters. He occupies his niche feeding on bamboo (mostly), although he can also eat fish, insects or small mammals. Where he lives he has no predators or competition. We invite you to read more about the Panda Bear Habitat.
- Emperor penguin (Aptenodytes Fosteri): Its habitat is the waters and lands of Antarctica and occupies its niche feeding on fish, tiny crustaceans and squid. In addition, these penguins are also prey to other animals.
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