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4.4.6Unit 4: Energy, Environment, Microbiology and Immunity

Ecological Niches and Adaptations — IAL Edexcel Linear Revision Notes & Topical Questions

5 min read 4 parts Lesson 26 of 28 Unit quiz

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Part 1 of 4Habitat and Niche

4.4.6 Ecological Niches and Adaptations

The habitat is where a species lives, while the niche is the role it plays there.

Habitat and Niche
Biotic role
  • The organisms a species feeds on and the organisms that feed on it, and its interactions with other living things.
Abiotic role
  • Exchanges with the environment such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, and its dependence on temperature or light.
Unique niche
  • Each species has its own niche, because two species cannot occupy exactly the same one for long.
Competition
  • If two species share a niche the better competitor wins, and the other must shift to a different niche or become locally extinct.

Part 2 of 4Sharing a Habitat

Closely related species can live together when their niches differ slightly.

1
Three North American warbler species all live in spruce and other conifer trees.
2
Each species feeds at a different height within the trees, so their niches differ.
3
This reduces competition between them and allows them to live close together in one habitat.

Part 3 of 4Types of Adaptation

Adaptations are features that increase the chance of survival and reproduction, and a species must be adapted to both biotic and abiotic factors.

Anatomical
  • Structural features such as horns, claws, feathers or thick fur that improve survival.
Behavioural
  • Actions such as courtship or defensive behaviour that improve survival or the chances of mating.
Physiological
  • Internal processes such as venom production or the ability to digest cellulose.
Biotic factors
  • Predators, competitors, prey and disease;
    • adaptations include camouflage, warning colours and defence chemicals.
Abiotic factors
  • Temperature, water availability and light;
    • adaptations include water storage in desert plants and insulation in cold climates.

Part 4 of 4Exam Checklist & Tips

4.4.6 – Key Points for the Exam

  • Habitat The place where an organism lives.
  • Niche The role of a species in its habitat, including all biotic and abiotic interactions.
  • Adaptation A feature that increases an organism chance of survival and reproduction.
  • Competitive exclusion One species out-competing another for the same niche until only one remains.

Common Mistakes

  • Using habitat and niche as synonyms; the niche is the role, the habitat is the place.
  • Saying two species can occupy the same niche indefinitely, when competition removes one of them.
  • Describing an adaptation as something an individual develops during its life, when adaptations are inherited features.
  • Listing only anatomical adaptations, forgetting behavioural and physiological ones.

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