Habitats & Niches

• Habitat


  An ecological area where a plant or animal lives, such as an island, a tree, or under a rock. It is where an individual can find food, shelter, protection, or mates.
• Niche


  The role or position that an individual has in its environment, involving what it eats, how it interacts with other living things, and how it interacts with non-living factors.
• Without ecological niches, there would be less diversity and the ecosystem would not be in balance.
• Animals and plants all have very special roles to play in their communities, and the niches they fill help keep their habitat healthy.
• A habitat is the place where an organism lives.
• A niche is the specific way an organism uses resources within its habitat.
• In general, habitats are large areas containing many different species, while niches are smaller spaces occupied by one particular species.
• Habitat refers to the physical location where an animal lives, whereas niche describes the functional role played by an animal within its community.
• Animal populations occupy various types of habitats such as forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands, mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, caves, and more.