Unit A Lesson 4: Niches
Completion requirements
Unit A Lesson 4: Niches |
Learning Targets |
Inquiry Question: What kinds of jobs do species have?
A healthy ecosystem is made up of many species, each performing an important role.
A healthy ecosystem is made up of many species, each performing an important role.
At the end of this inquiry, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- What is a niche?
- Where are most species distributed?
- What is resource partitioning?
- Who has a broad niche, and who has a narrow niche?
- What are the advantages and the disadvantages of being a generalist? A specialist?
Pages 18 to 19 in your textbook will help you answer these questions about niches and resource partitioning.
Introduction
What is your niche?
What do you eat? What are your jobs? What relationships do you have with others? Where do you live? Where do you like to hang out?
Combine your answers to these questions, and you now have an idea of your niche. You can have more than one niche. Wherever you go becomes your niche. Whatever you eat becomes part of your niche. Your role in your niche may change depending on where you are. You adapt to your niche as you move from one place to another.
Did you know that one tree could provide niches for several different species?
By looking at Figure 1, what is the definition of a niche?
What do you eat? What are your jobs? What relationships do you have with others? Where do you live? Where do you like to hang out?
Combine your answers to these questions, and you now have an idea of your niche. You can have more than one niche. Wherever you go becomes your niche. Whatever you eat becomes part of your niche. Your role in your niche may change depending on where you are. You adapt to your niche as you move from one place to another.
Did you know that one tree could provide niches for several different species?
By looking at Figure 1, what is the definition of a niche?
Figure 1 - A tree is the home for many different living things.
Watch
Watch the video "What is a Niche?" to learn how living things fit into their specific niche.
Watch the video "Niches in the Savannah Ecosystem" to see specific examples of several niches in the same geographic location.
Every living thing can be in many different roles in several different niches. Watch "What is a Niche?" to see how a rabbit plays many roles in this way.
Try It!
Practice Worksheet: What is a Niche?
1. DOWNLOAD this practice worksheet (S9_UA_S1_L4_niches). If you prefer to use a Google Drive or PDF version of the worksheet, click here.
2. Complete Question 1 on the worksheet. After you have completed it, save your work so you can add to it after you learn more about niches.
1. DOWNLOAD this practice worksheet (S9_UA_S1_L4_niches). If you prefer to use a Google Drive or PDF version of the worksheet, click here.
2. Complete Question 1 on the worksheet. After you have completed it, save your work so you can add to it after you learn more about niches.
Biodiversity
All living organisms have niches and the niches of various species overlap and intertwine.
The species on our planet are not distributed equally. Areas near the equator have the greatest numbers of plant and animal species. Biodiversity is highest in the tropical rain forests. The Arctic and Antarctic have the lowest biological diversity because they lack the warm climate that allows an abundance of plant species to house and feed all types of organisms.
All living organisms have niches and the niches of various species overlap and intertwine.
The species on our planet are not distributed equally. Areas near the equator have the greatest numbers of plant and animal species. Biodiversity is highest in the tropical rain forests. The Arctic and Antarctic have the lowest biological diversity because they lack the warm climate that allows an abundance of plant species to house and feed all types of organisms.
Adaptations
To survive, organisms need to adapt to changing roles in their niches. Organisms in various niches have various adaptations.
The diversity of plant species in the tropics allows many specialized organisms to exist. These organisms are known as specialists , and they occupy narrow niches . These specialists cannot adapt easily to changes in their environment and diet because they have specific adaptations for a limited area and food source. This is a disadvantage to specialists because they cannot adapt easily to changes. For example, koalas are found only in Australia and eat only eucalyptus leaves and shoots.
To survive, organisms need to adapt to changing roles in their niches. Organisms in various niches have various adaptations.
The diversity of plant species in the tropics allows many specialized organisms to exist. These organisms are known as specialists , and they occupy narrow niches . These specialists cannot adapt easily to changes in their environment and diet because they have specific adaptations for a limited area and food source. This is a disadvantage to specialists because they cannot adapt easily to changes. For example, koalas are found only in Australia and eat only eucalyptus leaves and shoots.
On the other hand, areas in the colder climates north and south of the equator are occupied by
generalists
. Generalists occupy
broad niches
. They can adapt easily to diet and weather changes and, in general, they have more flexibility in their niches. For
example, raccoons live in all of North America from Canada to Panama
and have been introduced into Europe and Asia. They eat insects, fruit,
seeds, garbage.
Although generalists can vary their diets to limit competition, they also have to develop ways to occupy various areas within their habitats to decrease competition for food. This is called resource partitioning, which occurs when similar species co-exist in an area. For example, bird species can occupy different parts of a tree and have different food depending on what part of the tree they are occupying. This helps species share resources and it limits competition between species.
Although generalists can vary their diets to limit competition, they also have to develop ways to occupy various areas within their habitats to decrease competition for food. This is called resource partitioning, which occurs when similar species co-exist in an area. For example, bird species can occupy different parts of a tree and have different food depending on what part of the tree they are occupying. This helps species share resources and it limits competition between species.
3. Complete Question 2 on the worksheet.
4. When you are satisfied with your responses, you can check your work by clicking on the "SUGGESTED ANSWERS" button below.
Wait! Don't view the suggested answers first. This practice work is not for marks, it is meant to help you check your understanding. Check the answers AFTER doing the questions! Keep the practice worksheet for study purposes. If you don't understand something, contact your teacher!
4. When you are satisfied with your responses, you can check your work by clicking on the "SUGGESTED ANSWERS" button below.
Wait! Don't view the suggested answers first. This practice work is not for marks, it is meant to help you check your understanding. Check the answers AFTER doing the questions! Keep the practice worksheet for study purposes. If you don't understand something, contact your teacher!
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This is a challenging question, answers of course will vary from person to person, because everyone is different. But consider these examples for a typical Grade 9 student: Sample diet for one day: cereal, French fries, juice boxes,
granola bars, apples, ham, potatoes, and corn. Sample role, habitat, and environmental interactions: Live at home and attend school each day, may have part-time job, interact with family and friends, spends most of the time
indoors in cold weather and outdoors in warm weather, regularly goes hiking in the forest.
- Your answer will depend on the birds you have chosen, but as an example, consider the these three birds that live in and around birch trees. Bird A: this bird is ground-dwelling bird that like to burrow underneath the roots of the
birch tree, and build its nest using dried grasses. Bird B: this bird belongs to the woodpecker family, and like to peck a small hole in the tree where it builds its nest. Bird C: this is a hunting bird, it prefers to view
the environment from as high up as possible to be able to spot prey such as mice and weasels, which it kills and feeds to its chicks. As a result, bird C always builds its nest near the top of the birch tree.