The ecological niche of an organism relates to
specific habitat of the organism
symbiotic relationship with other organisms
diverse occurrence of a species under different conditions
its interaction with all other organisms
Answer is Wrong!
Answer is Right!
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UPSC CAPF – 2017
The ecological niche of an organism is its functional role and position within an ecosystem. It encompasses not just where an organism lives (habitat, A), but also how it interacts with other organisms (biotic interactions) and the environment (abiotic conditions), its resource use, and its position in the food web. While A, B, and C touch upon aspects related to the niche (habitat is part of the environment it occupies, symbiotic relationships are a type of interaction, and occurrence under different conditions relates to the range of its niche), option D, “its interaction with all other organisms,” best represents the biotic aspect of its functional role within the community, which is a crucial component of the ecological niche, especially in the context of Elton’s definition (the animal’s place in the biotic environment). Although a complete definition includes abiotic interactions and resource use, among the given options, D is the most comprehensive in describing the organism’s role within the living part of the ecosystem.
The ecological niche is the functional role or ‘profession’ of an organism in an ecosystem, including its interactions with other organisms and the environment, and its resource use.