Niche

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Niche or annidation is the specialization of a certain species in an ecological niche in the course of an evolutionary development. Such a development can be triggered, among other things, by competitive pressure. To ensure survival, the weaker competitor moves to a different ecological niche, for example by opening up a different (more specific) food source or by temporal unbundling (e.g. day and night activity). This means that several species can coexist in the same habitat .

Possibilities of niche

The niche can be described under different aspects:

  • Temporally
- different activities at certain times of the day or seasons (competition is avoided)
- different breeding times and brood care
- different place of foraging
- Parasites specialize in certain parts of the host's body
- different use of the food supply
- different niches in terms of temperature