Definitions:
niche:
1: the ecological role of a species
in a community; conceptualized as the multidimensional space, of which the
coordinates are the various parameters representing the condition of existence
of the species, to which it is restricted by the presence of competitor species;
2: loosely as an equivalent of
microhabitat (physical space occupied by a species; I don't like this last one
as much)
fundamental
niche: the entire multidimensional space that represents the total range of
conditions within which an organism can function and which it could occupy in
the absence of competitors or other interacting species
realized
niche: that part of the
fundamental niche q.v. actually occupied by a species in the presence of
competitive or interactive species
n-dimensional
niche hypervolume:
1: the
phenotype is described by the niche hypervolume; phenotype = G x E = realized
niche
2: the limits
or borders within which which a species has adapted,
3: the
selection pressure consequence of the G x E interaction;
4: experimentally
defined by the testable parameters (dimensions) one can evaluate; the parameters
determining the form of existence of a plant
5: niche
differentiation has been interpreted with respect to the dimensions of time and
space in which resources are used (experimentally tractable)
