Realized Niche Width
Encyclopedia
Realized niché width is a phrase relating to ecology
defining the actual space that an organism
inhabits.
could inhabit. This area is defined by suitable climate
and available food sources appropriate to that species as well as other factors such as temperature and air or water pressure levels, as well as intraspecific and interspecific interactions (i.e. predation, competition for resources, etc.).
The niche width often differs from the area that a species actually inhabits, or its realized niche width. This is due to competition with other species within their ecosystem
and other variable limiting factors.
The physical area where a species lives, is its "habitat." The abstract hypercube that defines the limits of environmental features essential to that species' survival, is its "niche." (ECOLOGY , Begon,Harper,Townsend)
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
defining the actual space that an organism
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
inhabits.
Niche width v. realized niche width
The niche width of an organism refers to the area which that speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
could inhabit. This area is defined by suitable climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
and available food sources appropriate to that species as well as other factors such as temperature and air or water pressure levels, as well as intraspecific and interspecific interactions (i.e. predation, competition for resources, etc.).
The niche width often differs from the area that a species actually inhabits, or its realized niche width. This is due to competition with other species within their ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
and other variable limiting factors.
The physical area where a species lives, is its "habitat." The abstract hypercube that defines the limits of environmental features essential to that species' survival, is its "niche." (ECOLOGY , Begon,Harper,Townsend)