What is the difference between..........???

Question

a niche and a habitat. What is a niche anyway??? Please help.

Answer 1

A niche is the functional role and position of a species (population) within a community or ecosystem, including what resources it uses, how and when it uses the resources, and how it interacts with other populations.

The habitat of a population is the place where it lives. A niche is a population's complete role in an ecosystem.

Answer 2

Shortly;

niche is the position (or the role, mission.. whatever you say) and habitat is the area.

Answer 3

A habitat is basically the place where an organism lives.  It includes other organisms and the physical environment.

You can sort of think of a niche as an organism's "role" or "job" in its habitat.  The niche is how an organism makes use of its limited resources.  For example, you might consider a certain owl's niche to be something like "a flying carnivore that feeds on small rodents and lives high up in oak trees."  This is the very specific way an organism makes a living for itself.

Only one species can successfully occupy a niche at a given time.  When two species try to occupy the same niche, this results in competition, and only one species will prevail.  The other species will either die out or be forced to find another niche to fill.  This would be like trying to sit in the same chair as someone else at the same time.  The chair can only accommodate one person, so either you will have to yield and find another place to sit, or you will perform better and force the other person to move.