Niche Classification

In ecology, niches help in understanding the various community interactions. Once we know an organism’s effect on its environment and vice versa, we can resort to possible measures to protect and preserve the biome. Niche classification is opted to simplify recognising the factors that might affect the species and its environment. Niche also belongs to a specific system the species follow to surpass the competition and survive. The niche system can be very specific to an organism or broadly general, depending on the species’ ability to adapt to its environment. Let us learn more about the aspects contributing to niche classification.

What is a niche?

Niche is referred to as a role that an organism plays in its ecosystem. It is an interaction between the environmental components and their fellow species. It is also defined as how the organism reacts to its biotic and abiotic communities.

The niche of an organism depends on how it reacts to the competition and the availability of resources. It is the concept of how the organism uses abiotic resources like water and sunlight, and how well it adapts to the weather. The niche is also referred to as an ecological niche.

Understanding the niche classification provides clarity on its role in interacting with the environment. Niche classification acknowledges the effect an organism has when it interacts with a community and how the community is affected after the organism’s interaction.

Types of niches:

There are three types of niches:

• The spatial or habitat niche – It is when the niche is based on when an organism pertains to or occupies a certain habitat in the ecosystem.
• The trophic niche – It is when the niche is based on where the organism falls within the food chain or food cycle.
• The multidimensional niche – It is when the niche is based on actual availability and limiting factors.

The niche classification on various aspects provides a broader scope of understanding its role in its environment and how the environment reacts back to it. 

When an organism has a specific niche e.g., a specific way of living, feeding and nesting etc., it will have very limited competition. These organisms are niche specialists. But when you specialise in a niche, it becomes hard when the biome alters. If the organism does not develop the skill to adapt to suit the available resources, it might get extinct.

Having a broad or open niche will keep the choices of habitation and survival easy. The generalisation of having a broader niche will face more competition. How the organism adapts to these competitions decides its survival rate. Because of such troubles, the species, over the years, have learnt the ability to adapt to biotic and abiotic change swiftly. These are niche generalists.

Fundamental niche

The fundamental niche is a niche classification where the entire biotic and abiotic community is available as a resource without competition. It is a broad classification of niche with the availability of the biotic components and the environmental aspects without any hindrance.

Realised niche

When the resources of the biotic and abiotic elements are under competition, it becomes a realised niche. The narrowing of the availability can be due to competition between the same or other species, depletion or scarcity of the available resources or predation of the existing resources. Factors that control the availability of these resources are called limiting factors.

The limiting factor controls overproduction by restraining the organism from achieving its realised niche.

Ecological niche examples:

The classification of niche based on its habitat, trophic level, and limiting factors provide us clarity on the concepts of these types of niches. Let’s discuss the examples of ecological niches:

1. The ecological niche of a panda
2. The ecological niche of beavers

The ecological niche of the panda:

Pandas occupy a specific niche in the ecosystem. This niche classification has the availability of surplus resources. Pandas have a surplus availability of bamboo. The specification on resource niche makes it easy for the panda to escape the competition. Pandas have slow mobility because of the lack of competition to survive. They have also developed special limb features to exercise a firm grip on the bamboo. Since they are niche-specific, they stay in solitude to avoid interspecies competition. They also reproduce in one or two years, so they don’t overpopulate.

The ecological niche of beavers:

Beavers are a type of rodent. They live underground and are often known for making canals and tunnels. They change the river flow direction through these tunnels. Watersheds typically get disturbed when the beavers create tunnels redirecting their water flow. This type of niche is specific to the habitat of organisms.

Conclusion:

Understanding the niche classification is important in ecology. Scientists use these niches to categorise the organism with its niche specification. Once you have the clarity, you can easily point out the effect an organism can have on its biotic and abiotic structure. This clarity is important to know if the organism is depleting the resource availability in the case of over breeding and consumption. It also helps understand the changes in the environment affecting the organism’s niche. We can take appropriate actions to prevent resource depletion and organisms’ extinction. These aspects make the ecological niche classification an essential guide for future development.