ecological niche
1
6.8
- noun
- /ˌiːkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl nɪtʃ/
- Specialized
:
nicho ecológico
- We studied five species that comprise a range of ecological niches, varying in morphology, distribution range, and behavior (Table 1).
- occupy ecological niches
- different ecological niches
Humans can live in any ecological niche in the world, from the tropics to the poles.
- Humans can live in any ecological niche in the world, from the tropics to the poles.
Examples
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Our hope is that our survey results and insights will refine characterizations of the pika's ecological niche and further a comprehensive understanding of population dynamics and associated conservation needs for American pikas in the Great Basin.
Academic text (2017) -
And note how well adapted the virus is to its ecological niche in the human population.
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Humans can live in any ecological niche in the world, from the tropics to the poles.
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As the data accumulated, it began to seem as if the two species occupied quite different ecological niches.
Academic text (2003) -
In many animal species, adults and juveniles occupy different ecological niches.
Academic text (1998) -
Their extinction made room for the subsequent radiation of mammals into newly vacant ecological niches.
Academic text (2003) -
The island's diverse habitats provide numerous ecological niches for femurs and other animals, most of which are found nowhere else.
Academic text (1993) -
Over millennia, each ecological niche in the honeycomb of the Himalayas has developed its own carefully balanced cultural and religious traditions.
Academic text (2005) -
Sheep and goats have maintained an unquestionable economic and ecological niche in Asian agriculture (Irshad et al., 2010).
Academic text (2013) -
Each species has evolved to fit a specific ecological niche within its environment.
Synonyms
15
7.5
The role of an animal or plant in its environment
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'ecological' (relating to the environment) modifies 'niche' (a position or role), so the combined sense — an organism's role/position within its environment — follows naturally from the parts. This adjective+noun combination is a standard, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Ecological niche may come from the word niche, which meant a small space or shelf in a wall where a statue fits. Imagine a plant or animal fitting into that little space — it shows the species' 'place' and 'job' in nature. That's why the phrase means the role and position of a species: how it gets food and lives with other animals and plants.