Realized Niche Width
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"Realized Niche Width" is a phrase relating to ecology defining the actual space that an organism inhabits.
[edit] Niche Width vs Realized Niche Width
The Niche Width of an organism refers to the area which that species could physically inhabit. This area is defined by suitable climate and available food sources appropriate to that species as well as other factors such as temperature and air or water pressure levels.
The Niche Width often differs from the area that a species actually inhabits, or its Realized Niche Width. This is due to competition with other species within their ecosystem and other variable limiting factors.
The physical area where a species lives, is its "habitat." The abstract hypercube that defines the limits of environmental features essential to that species' survival, is its "niche." (ECOLOGY , Begon,Harper,Townsend)
[edit] References
Paul A. Keddy (1983). "Shoreline Vegetation in Axe Lake, Ontario: Effects of Exposure on Zonation Patterns". Ecology 64 (2): 331–344. doi:.
