4.19—Niche and adaptations

A niche is the role a species plays in its habitat: what it uses or eats, where and when it is active, and which organisms interact with it. Adaptations are features that improve survival or reproduction in that environment.

Anatomical adaptations are structural; physiological adaptations change internal processes; behavioural adaptations change actions. Two species may appear to share a habitat but cannot occupy exactly the same niche indefinitely without direct competition.

A desert plant’s reduced leaves, water-saving physiology and growth timing each address a different pressure. Together they explain where it can live and how it uses resources, rather than being a list of unrelated traits.

A niche is not simply an address, and an adaptation is not automatically beneficial in every environment. Link each trait to a specific biotic or abiotic pressure and outcome.