Can someone define an ecological niche please?
An organism’s niche is the role it plays in the enviornment; what the organism does, when it does it. In a community, each organism’s niche must be different for coexistence of these organisms. You may have 5 different carnivores existing in a community, but as long as they eat different organisms or hunt at different times, they can all coexist, because they all have different niches, as defined by how or when they eat. You may have 15 different herbivores in that same community, but as long as they specialize on different foods, or exploit foods that the others can’t eat, they can coexist because they have different niches. There are other aspects of niche aside from what organisms eat (use of water resources, breeding, habitat, social structure, etc.), but I find nutrition to be the easiest way to demonstrate different niches to my classes. Edit: If you could give more specific details about what you are trying to do, I might be able to help. e-mail me if you’re still having problem
