Eltonian niche

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A definition of the ecological niche concept emphasizing the functional attributes of animals and their corresponding trophicposition. This was the definition Eugene Odum popularized in his analogy of the niche of a species with its profession in the ecosystem as opposed to the habitat being its address. The definition is attributed to Charles Elton in his 1927 now classic book Animal Ecology^[1]. Elton used the two African Rhinoceros species to exemplify the definition. The White Rhinoceros has broad (wide, hence its name) mouthparts, which are efficient in harvesting a grass sward, while the Black Rhinoceros has narrow pointed lips enabling it to feed selectively on the foliage of thorny bushes.

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Grinellian niche

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