| Main Entry: | ecological niche1 |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | the entirety of environmental factors that tend to suit and allow an animal or plant species to survive in its habitat, the microhabitat in which a particular population lives and way that it exploits the microhabitat |
| Main Entry: | ecological niche2 |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | the role that an animal or plant species plays in the environment, the status of an organism within its environment which affects its survival |
The place or function of a given organism within its ecosystem.
Note: 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.