14.1 Habitat And Niche KEY CONCEPT Every organism has a habitat and a niche.

14.1 Habitat And Niche A habitat is all aspects of the area in which an organism lives. –biotic (living) factors –Abiotic (non-living) factors Ex: ALL aspects of The habitat including grass, trees, and watering hole

14.1 Habitat And Niche A niche includes all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors that a species needs to survive, stay healthy, and reproduce. –food –Abiotic conditions (temp, water) –Behavior (time of day its active, when it reproduces) You can think of a habitat as where a species lives and a niche as how it lives within its habitat.

14.1 Habitat And Niche Species can share habitats and resources, BUT competition occurs when two species use the same resources Ex: Cheetahs and Lions Competitive exclusion keeps two species from occupying the same niche. NO TWO SPECIES OCCUPY THE SAME NICHE Competitive exclusion has 3 different outcomes

14.1 Habitat And Niche 1)One species is better suited to the niche and the other will either be pushed out or become extinct. Ex: North American Grey Squirrel and native European Red Squirrel 2) If the niche will be divided. Ex: One species eats nuts from the trees, and one eats them from the ground 3)If the two species further diverge. Ex: One species has teeth better suited for seeds, and one has bigger teeth for nuts How the Red Squirrel could survive….

14.1 Habitat And Niche Ecological equivalents are species that occupy similar niches but live in different geographical regions. Madagascar South America