The Niche Concept

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Post
Keyword(s):  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Limiting Similarity ◽  
Abiotic Conditions ◽  
Quantitative Ecology ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
Simple Question ◽  
Utilization Patterns ◽  
Niche Concept

This chapter discusses the niche concept. One of the earliest applications of the niche theory in quantitative ecology addressed the seemingly simple question of the extent to which the niches of two species can overlap and allow co-occurrence or coexistence of the species. This question grew out of the then recent development of the notions of limiting similarity and niche packing, according to which coexistence among species with similar resource requirements was assumed to be promoted through minimization of niche overlap through divergence in habitat utilization patterns or character displacement. The answer is highly relevant in the context of climate change, or of any environmental change in general. Fluctuation in abiotic conditions such as mean annual temperature may be seen as just as important, if not more so, to the persistence or maintenance of the degree of niche overlap that is tolerable for co-occurring species as the trend in abiotic conditions itself.

scholarly journals A Fast and Robust Way to Estimate Overlap of Niches, and Draw Inference

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith H. Parkinson ◽  
Raoul Kutil ◽  
Jonas Kuppler ◽  
Robert R. Junker ◽  
Wolfgang Trutschnig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Data ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Simulation Studies ◽  
Inference Method ◽  
Valid Inference ◽  
Robust Solution ◽  
Quantitative Ecology ◽  
Niche Concept ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Asymptotic Sampling

Abstract The problem of quantifying the overlap of Hutchinsonian niches has received much attention lately, in particular in quantitative ecology, from where it also originates. However, the niche concept has the potential to also be useful in many other application areas, as for example in economics. We are presenting a fully nonparametric, robust solution to this problem, along with exact shortcut formulas based on rank-statistics, and with a rather intuitive probabilistic interpretation. Furthermore, by deriving the asymptotic sampling distribution of the estimators, we are proposing the first asymptotically valid inference method, providing confidence intervals for the niche overlap. The theoretical considerations are supplemented by simulation studies and a real data example.

Ecological Theory and the Superfluous Niche

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-123
Author(s):  
James Justus ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Exclusion ◽  
Ecological Theory ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Exclusion Principle ◽  
Limiting Similarity ◽  
Competitive Exclusion Principle ◽  
Ecological Equivalence

Perhaps no concept has been thought more important to ecological theorizing than the niche. Without it, technically sophisticated and well-regarded accounts of character displacement, ecological equivalence, limiting similarity, and others would seemingly never have been developed. The niche is also widely considered the centerpiece of the best candidate for a distinctively ecological law, the competitive exclusion principle. But the incongruous array and imprecise character of proposed definitions of the concept square poorly with its apparent scientific centrality. I argue this definitional diversity and imprecision reflects a problematic conceptual indeterminacy that challenges its putative indispensability in ecology.

The principle of equal opportunity: a test with desert rodents

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 1968-1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. M'Closkey
Keyword(s):  
Basic Assumption ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Rodent Species ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Limiting Similarity ◽  
Desert Rodents ◽  
Desert Rodent ◽  
Coexisting Species ◽  
Microhabitat Structure

A basic assumption of the theory of niche overlap and limiting similarity is that the use of limited resources by coexisting species is proportional to resource availability. I provide a test of this assumption with desert rodents using microhabitat structure as a resource. Utilized and available microhabitat frequencies were compared in four desert rodent species. Some rodent species departed significantly in utilized microhabitats from that expected on the basis of availability. However, cumulative utilization frequencies for all four rodent species corresponded closely to the frequency of available microhabitats. Therefore, the assumption of constant ratios of utilization/availability of resources (microhabitats) was not falsified for the entire guild, although individual rodent species used some microhabitats disproportionately.

scholarly journals Functional niche occupation and species richness in herbaceous plant communities along experimental gradients of stress and disturbance

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (5) ◽  
pp. 861-867
Author(s):  
Yuanzhi Li ◽  
Bill Shipley
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Functional Trait ◽  
Limiting Similarity ◽  
Herbaceous Plant ◽  
Habitat Filtering ◽  
Intraspecific Trait Variation ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract Background and Aims The patterns of niche occupation in functional trait space have been widely studied to understand the processes of community assembly, but are rarely linked to environmental conditions (here, stress and disturbance). In this study, we investigate (1) how the pattern of functional niche occupation, incorporating intraspecific trait variation and covariation, varies along experimental gradients of stress and disturbance, (2) whether habitat filtering and/or limiting similarity modify the pattern, and (3) whether their strength varies as a function of species richness or levels of stress and disturbance. Methods We constructed an experimental system consisting of 24 herbaceous plant mesocosms under different levels of stress and disturbance, and measured ten traits on five individuals for each species in each mesocosm. We quantified the total functional niche volume occupied by an entire mesocosm, the functional niche overlap among species within a mesocosm and the average functional niche volume occupied per species, and investigated how these metrics varied from species-poor to species-rich mesocosms along gradients of stress and disturbance. Key Results Species richness and functional niche overlap correlated positively to disturbance at low and medium levels of stress, but peaked at the intermediate level of disturbance when stress was high. The total functional niche volume and average functional niche volume did not change significantly along these gradients. Compared to null models, each mesocosm occupied a smaller total functional niche volume (habitat filtering) and the species within each mesocosm overlapped less and were more functionally specialized (limiting similarity). Moreover, the standardized metrics (to the null expectations) did not change significantly under different levels of stress and disturbance. Conclusions This experimental evidence shows that both habitat filtering and limiting similarity determine the patterns of functional niche occupation and species richness, but their strength does not change along environmental gradients of stress and disturbance.

scholarly journals Environmental determinants of threespine stickleback species pair evolution and persistence

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (11) ◽  
pp. 1983-1997 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad I. Ormond ◽  
Jordan S. Rosenfeld ◽  
Eric B. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Species Pair ◽  
Trophic Resources ◽  
Species Pairs ◽  
Resource Requirements ◽  
Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽  
Species At Risk Act

Threespine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) species pairs are found in four watersheds in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, and are listed as Endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act. Their origin is thought to be through a double-invasion process followed by character displacement; however, this hypothesis does not consider whether speciation is dependent on unique environmental factors necessary to support two species with separate habitat and resource requirements, which may be essential both for their evolution and persistence. To test whether species pair lakes have unique attributes, we compared abiotic and biotic factors of species pair lakes to lakes with only a single population of stickleback. There were no clear environmental differences between species pair and non-species pair lakes, but species pairs were only present in lakes with low fish species diversity, suggesting that evolution and persistence of species pairs requires a simplified fish community. Our study suggests that colonization history rather than unique lake attributes (related to either physical habitat or trophic resources) facilitated the evolution of stickleback species pairs and that the fish assemblage in lakes may affect resource availability and speciation potential as strongly as the limnological attributes of the lakes themselves.

Regional Characteristics of Niche and Planning Principles in City Streets

2011 ◽  
Vol 243-249 ◽  
pp. 6681-6685
Author(s):  
Qi Bo Liu ◽  
Can Liu ◽  
Jing Yuan Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Characteristic Model ◽  
Regional Characteristic ◽  
Regional Characteristics ◽  
Complex Ecosystem ◽  
Niche Concept ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Urban Complex

This paper introduces niche concept and niche overlap theory into the field of urban planning, and believe that urban niche is the extension of species niche concept. Urban provides certain resource for human beings to live and take actives, which makes different dimensions of resource, time and space in different urban's development. Regional characteristics of citiy as the manifestation of a city, which reflect different "space" position of a city in urban niche, the spatial position is multidimensional and with multiple subsystems. Regional characteristics of city mainly come from non-overlapped area of multiple subsystems in urban complex niche, the higher the proportion of non-overlapping, the more obvious features of urban regional characteristics. Therefore, this paper established a regional characteristic model of niche in city streets which based on complex ecosystem, and proposed planning principles under it, in order to emphasize regionality and create a positive ecological street.

scholarly journals Exploring the morphospace in subterranean spiders

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Dejanaz ◽  
Stefano Mammola ◽  
Marco Isaia
Keyword(s):  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Character Displacement ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Similar Degree ◽  
Multidimensional Space ◽  
Italian Alps ◽  
Trophic Specialization ◽  
Direct Competition ◽  
Coexisting Species

In light of the reduced diversity and abundance of species, subterranean habitats represent ideal models systems in which to investigate characters displacement in species sharing the same habitat. In order to minimize direct competition, it is expected that sibling species occupying the same subterranean habitat should differentiate their morphological niche. Conversely, geographically vicariant species occupying similar microhabitats should display a convergent morphology. We tested these hypotheses by studying character displacement in different species of Troglohyphantes Joseph, 1881 spiders (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in the Western Italian Alps. These spiders underwent a remarkable radiations in subterranean habitats, with numerous stenoendemic elements showing different degrees of subterranean adaptation. For each considered species, we examined 10 to 15 females specimens for a number of morphological characters related to body size, degree of subterranean adaptation (eyes development, flattening of the cephalotorax and leg elongation) and trophic specialization (chelicera and fang length). These traits were combined in a multidimensional space in order to describe the geometry of the n-dimensional Hutchinsonian hypervolume representing the morphological niche of each species. Once the hypervolumes were constructed, pairwise similarity among each species niche was calculated using different overlap indexes. We found that the niche hypervolume of all Troglohyphantes species had a comparable size. However, the distance among niche centroids was lower for species with similar subterranean adaptation and significantly higher in coexisting species. Furthermore, when found in the same cave, species with similar degree of adaptation showed a limited niche overlap. Overall, our results highlight the key role of competition in shaping morphology when competing species are present.

scholarly journals Environmental conditions promote local segregation, but functional distinctiveness allow aggregation of catfishes in the Amazonian estuary

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Soares ◽  
Naraiana Loureiro Benone ◽  
Ronaldo Borges Barthem ◽  
Alexandre Pires Marceniuk ◽  
Luciano Fogaça de Assis Montag
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Limiting Similarity ◽  
Lower Salinity ◽  
Salinity Levels ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Occurrence Patterns ◽  
Local Segregation

Cooccurrence patterns of species can appear through niche-related processes such as (i) environmental filtering matching specific sets of traits to a given environment, and (ii) limiting similarity selecting divergent functional traits to reduce niche overlap. Locally, both processes should act together to shape the distribution of species. We evaluated the importance of environmental variables and functional distinctiveness to the co-occurrence patterns of nine marine catfishes in the inner estuary of the Amazon River mouth. Sampling was carried out in the dry seasons of 1996 and 1997, and the rainy season of 1996 by nearly 120 standardized bottom trawls per expedition. We observed 13 significant pairs of segregated species and two pairs of aggregated species, which sum 41.7% of all combinations. Amphiarius phrygiatus and Sciades couma segregated from all the remaining marine catfishes by occupying shallower areas with lower salinity levels. Aggregated pairs were strongly associated with higher functional distinctiveness. We concluded that environmental filtering is the main force structuring the co-occurrence patterns by promoting spatial segregation, but functional distinctiveness allowed some species to aggregate.

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