ecological niche

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ecological niche

the physical space occupied by an organism.
the organism's functional role in the community (e.g. TROPHIC LEVEL).
other conditions of the organism's existence, such as preferred temperature, moisture and pH, combining spatial habitat with functional interaction with other species.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

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adaptive radiation

References in periodicals archive ?

The basic principle underpinning the Adaptive Zone Based K-NNSS (AZ-NNSS) algorithm is that if we use the previous movement pattern to estimate the location, we can reduce the computation work-load and improve the accuracy.

Enhancing location estimation and reducing computation using adaptive zone based K-NNSS algorithm

This finding contradicts one of the important assumptions of Ehrlich and Raven's (1964) classic proposal of herbivore and plant diversification, and questions the generality of adaptive zones. Adaptive-zone theory predicts that adaptation to a particular environment will be positively correlated with adaptation to similar environments.

HOST-RANGE EVOLUTION: ADAPTATION AND TRADE-OFFS IN FITNESS OF MITES ON ALTERNATIVE HOSTS

356) that allow a lineage to enter a new "adaptive zone" (sensu Simpson 1944; i.e., the environment is composed of a finite and more or less clearly delimited set of zones or areas often occupied by a group of closely related species) and thereby utilize resources that were previously unavailable (Futuyma 1986).