What does niche mean in biology?

A: The niche that an organism occupies is the opening in the environment that the organism fills to make a living. A species' niche is its place in an ecosystem relative to the other organisms present. read more

In 1958, George Evelyn Hutchinson used the term niche to describe the multi-dimensional space of resources available to and used by a species. Despite the varying definitions of niche, it is generally considered to pertain to how an organism or a population responds to as well as alters competition and the distribution of resources. read more

In ecology, a niche may pertain to a variety of meanings. It is probably due to the definition of niche that has changed overtime. Joseph Grinnell in 1917 coined the term niche, which he used as largely equivalent to a species habitat. read more

The term niche, when used in the science of ecological biology, is used to define an organism's role in an ecosystem.Not only does its niche include the environment that a given organism lives in, but it also includes the organism's "job" in that environment. read more