When studying a living being, we are always concerned with knowing its habitat and ecological niche. These two concepts are extremely important for studies in Ecology and should not be confused.
→ What is Habitat?
Habitat it concerns the place where a particular species lives. Each species is adapted to live in a certain place, which is the ideal environment for its reproduction, feeding and survival.
When they are removed from their natural location and introduced into a new area, many species simply cannot survive. Others, however, end up finding favorable conditions and reproduce in an exaggerated way, often lacking a natural predator.
This introduction into environments can harm the species, when the environment is not favorable, or cause damage to species that already lived in the area. There are many cases of species that end up leading others to extinction because of the competition.
→ What is Ecological Niche?
When we talk about ecological niche, we refer to the way of life of that being, its
ecological relationships, its mode of reproduction, what it feeds on, who its natural predators are, among other characteristics. Thus, we can say that the niche is the ecological role of a living being in community where he lives.Some species have the same ecological niche and therefore compete with each other. This competition can drive a species to migrate to another area or even drive a species to extinction. There are still some species that, despite having the same niche, manage to coexist in the same area.
The purple-tailed parrot (Amazona brasiliensis), for example, is a species found in Atlantic forest,that is, therefore, its habitat. Regarding its ecological niche, we can say that this species lives in pairs, is very active in the morning and at the end of the day and feeds on fruits, leaves and even flowers.
To facilitate the study, many authors like to make a relationship between the two terms and our everyday life. O habitat would be the address of a living being in nature, and the ecological niche would be the your job in a given ecosystem.
Mind Map: Habitat and Ecological Nest
* To download the mind map in PDF, Click here!
→ applying knowledge
Now that you know the difference between habitat and ecological niche, let's use another example to pin down what was learned. Read the following excerpt:
The golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecusrosalia) is a species found only in the Atlantic Forest. It is usually seen in family groups and lives for about eight years. Its diet has fruits, some invertebrates and small vertebrates. It is responsible for dispersing a large amount of seeds and is therefore very important in this biome.
In the case above, we can conclude that the habitat of the golden lion tamarin is the Atlantic Forest. When we talk about its way of life, what it eats and its reproduction, we are talking about its ecological niche.
ATTENTION!!!Many species are at risk of extinction mainly due to the destruction of their habitat. When we destroy the place where these beings live, they end up looking for other areas to inhabit. However, many die on the way or do not adapt to their new home. This is the case of the armadillo-bola, which lives in the Caatinga and the Brazilian Cerrado and suffers from hunting and the destruction of its habitat.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/habitat-nicho-ecologico.htm