Types of Ecological Niche

According to zoologist  G. Evelyn Hutchinson in 1957, ecological niches can be divided into two main categories: Fundamental Niches and Realized Niches.

Fundamental Niches

• It examines the full spectrum of conditions in which a certain species might be able to survive, grow and reproduce.
•  It does not take into account biotic ecological interactions like competition.
• Its size is large.
•  It emphasizes the various roles of species.

Realized Niches

• The particular ecological settings where a species coexists are known as realized niches. It outlines the species’ experiences and how it copes with certain circumstances.
• It takes competition into account along with all other biotic and abiotic ecological interactions.
• Its size is small. It is considered a subset of a fundamental niche. As the realized niche expands, so does the fundamental niche.
• It makes emphasis what the species do.

Niche Overlap: It is the overlapping state where two species use the same resources or other environmental factors. Nonetheless, in many cases, niches only partially overlap because resources are shared.

Vacant Niche: The term vacant itself defines the vacant nature of a niche that is not yet occupied. Environmental disturbances and evolutionary possibilities are thought to be the root cause of it.