Habitat and Niche: Have you ever wondered why a bare land has less number and diversity of species than a woodland or ocean ecosystem? When an ecosystem can assist a variety of surroundings, it is likely to produce more niches and more opportunities for animals to fit into. Forests and oceans, within their large spatial expansion, have a variety of different environmental factors. This gives life a greater choice of habitats and niches. Habitat is a part of an environment, whereas niche plays a major role in setting up an ecosystem.

Habitat is the “address”, whereas niche is the “profession”. Every organism has its own niche in the ecosystem. Whether the organism is a producer or a consumer? How does the organism interact with other organisms and their environment? Read on to explore more about the difference and types of Habitat and Niche.

What is Habitat?

A habitat is an ecological zone where a plant or animal lives. It may be an island, a tree, or perhaps under a rock. The habitat is a natural environment where an animal utilizes the resources to find food to eat, shelter from heat and cold, and protection from predators and mates.

1. Habitats might change over time either due to important environmental changes like volcanoes, and tornadoes or due to changes in climate over a lengthy period.
2. Other changes might be because of human activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and pollution.
3. The availability of food and water greatly influences the habitat or place chosen by animals to live.
4. Like many organisms, plants also require expansion in diameter and height. Thus a massive planet with a thick trunk and great height might not grow or thrive in areas such as a park or a yard.

What is Niche?

Niche is the effective role and position of a species in its environment that describes how the species responds to the location of resources and competitors or predators.

1. A niche may also involve what that individual eats, how it interacts with other living things, and also how it connects with the non-living factors.
2. Niche consumes the flow of energy from one species to another, and thus it is very important to accept how a species eats or interacts with other organisms in an ecosystem to maintain ecological balance.
3. Without ecological niches, there would be less biological variety, and the ecosystem would not be in balance.
4. For example, a population in an environment make use of the resources and breeds to produce more animals or organisms, which then escalate the resources for the predators.
5. The full span of biotic and abiotic factors utilized by species for duration form the fundamental niche, and the element that limits the population, like competition and predators, are called limiting factors.

Difference Between a Habitat and a Niche?

Basis for Comparison	Habitat	Niche
Definition	A habitat is an area where species live and interact with the other factors.	A niche is an ideology of how an organism lives or survives in the provided environmental conditions.
Deals with	Habitat encompasses the effect of temperature, rainfall and other abiotic factors.	The niche includes a flow of energy from one organism to another through an ecosystem.
Changes	The habitat of an animal remains the same for a longer period of time.	Living beings might change their niche within a shorter time, like seasons.
Nature	A habitat is a physical place.	Niche is a role performed by organisms.
Specificity	Habitat is not species-specific.	Niche is species-specific.
Examples	Deserts, oceans, forests, rivers, mountains, etc., are examples of habitats.	Niche is a part of habitat only, where protection for living beings can be furnished.
Influence	The habitat of a species might affect its niche.	Niche is a solution to the habitat and rarely affects the habitats of the species.

Types of Habitat

1. Terrestrial Habitats: Habitats on land are called terrestrial habitats. Terrestrial habitats are followed by:

(a) Grassland: Grassland habitats are dominated by grass, small trees and shrubs. They get moderate rain, usually windy and dry.
(b) Mountains: Mountains are habitats found at higher altitudes where the climate is extremely cold and windy.
(c) Forests: Forest habitats are divided into three sub-division. They are Tropical forests, Temperate forests and Boreal forests. They are dominated by the presence of a large number of plants and trees.
(d) Deserts: Deserts are sandy lands that receive very little rainfall, and the regions are hot and dry.
(e) Polar regions: Polar regions are totally covered with snow and can experience very cold temperatures.

Fig: Terrestrial Habitats

2. Aquatic Habitat: Habitat in water is called aquatic habitat. It is further classified into two habitats:
(a) Freshwater Habitat: Freshwater habitat includes rivers, streams, ponds and lakes.
(b) Marine Habitat: The saltwater habitat is called marine habitat. Planktons, seaweeds, fish, whales, crabs, octopuses, turtles, starfish, etc., are present in this habitat.

Fig: Aquatic Habitats

What are the 4 Types of Niches?

1. Habitat/Spatial Niche: It illustrates the microhabitat occupied by various species in a general habitat.
2. Trophic Niche: It is accountable for the useful role of a specific species and how the species’ position is in comparison to others.
3. Multidimensional Niche: It benefits understanding the position of a particular species in the tip and rise of the environment.
4. Fundamental Niche and Realized Niche: Hutchinson recognized two types of niches; fundamental niche and realized niche. The fundamental niche of a species is the hypervolume that a population can fill in the absence of competitors. So each species has a fundamental niche within a community.  However, because of competition, due to similar essentials along the niche dimension, the competitor niches will be overlying one another. As a result of these biotic constraints, only a part of the niche is realized by the species. These smaller hyper volumes occupied by a species are termed the realized niche.

Diagram Showing the Comparison Between Habitat and Niche

Fig: Comparison of Habitat and Niche

Warbler niches in a spruce tree: each species has various types of niches in the spruce by feeding in distinct parts of the tree, so they coexist without competing with each other.

What is the Relationship Between Habitat and Niche?

It is necessary to note that habitats can exist without niches. Habitat is the sum of all conditions for an animal to live in (potential habitat). A habitat is only engaged (realized habitat) when an ecosystem grows, and niches are integrated into it. This is called habitat differentiation and is deeply interconnected with the presence of a thriving ecosystem.
It is possible that two animals can have the same niche (same role) in an ecosystem, provided they live in various habitats. For example, deer and rabbits both play the role of herbivores (an animal that feeds only on plants), but you find deer in the woody areas of a forest while rabbits are found in the open areas.

What Would Happen if Organisms Evolved into the Same Niche and the Same Habitat?

When two animals occupy the same niche in the same habitat, they begin to contest. If deer were brought into an open area, both deer and rabbits would begin to fight for the same system. Eventually, one would get rid of the other (survival of the fittest) or develop a new niche within a niche. Hence, niches play a major role in keeping the diversity alive in a species. They ensure organisms have definite roles and the roles do not overlap to escape competition and elimination.

Summary

Habitats are the fleshly parts of an ecosystem where organisms reside. Niches are the usable roles each organism takes up in an ecosystem. An organism’s habitat and niches together dictate its position in the ecosystem food chain. These two concepts drive the process of adaptation and evolution, where organisms do their best to find their unique habitat-niche combination. Together, habitats and niches of any ecosystem influence the species diversity in nature.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Habitat and Niche

Find the frequently asked questions related to Habitat and Niche

Q.1. What is the difference between a habitat and a niche?
Ans: A habitat is a place where an organism lives, while a niche is that organism’s role within that environment.

Q.2. What is an example of a niche?
Ans: One best example is squirrels that collect acorns and bury them for winter.

Q.3. What are the \(3\) types of niches?
Ans: Habitat Niche, Trophic Niche and Multidimensional Niche are the \(3\) types of niches.

Q.4. What is a habitat? Give a few examples?
Ans: Habitat, is a place where an organism or a community of organisms lives, involving all living and non-living factors or conditions of the surrounding environment. Habitat examples include lakes, streams, forests, deserts, grasslands, or even a drop of water.

Q.5. What is a niche in biology?
Ans: A niche is a place or position that’s particularly appropriate for someone or something, particularly due to being very specific and different from others.

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