ecological niche

noun

Ecology.

1. the position or function of an organism in a community of plants and animals.

ecological niche

1. The place or function of a given organism within its ecosystem.

Different organisms may compete for the same niche. For example, in a forest there may be a niche for an organism that can fly and eat nectar from blossoms. This niche may be filled by some sort of bird, or an insect, or even a mammal such as a bat.

Example Sentences

The terror birds, which out-competed the mammals in occupying this particular ecological niche, may even have driven mammalian predators to take to the forests instead.

Read more on Salon

"Our ancestors have chosen an ecological niche where the world is slow enough to make survival possible," the authors write.

Read more on Salon

In modern ecosystems, that process has led closely related birds of paradise to develop different displays while sharing ecological niches.

Read more on New York Times

"Cichlids are known for filling a huge diversity of different ecological niches and being able to adapt to changes in their environment," they said.

Read more on Science Daily

This allows them to inhabit various ecological niches and therefore to engage in less competition with one another.

Read more on Science Daily