2.1 Fundamental vs Realised Niche Concept
Exploring Fundamental and Realised Niches
Use the presentation to introduce key terms and ideas. Watch the videos. The HHMI videos are excellent at putting these concepts into the real world and it's great to see Scientists in action. If time is limited, use just the first video on Niche Partitioning and Species Coexistence which is 8 minutes long. If you have time, the second video (18 minutes long) helps students as it explains how anoles adapt to their habitats and how scientists can measure this.
Student Task:
In order to explore this concept of the realised niche and resource partitioning further, we are going to look at some case studies of species.
Your task is to produce a graphical summary of an example from the resources provided.
Remember to use annotations which will aid understanding.
Realized Niche of Cane Toads in Australia
Lecture notes from Montana University with several summarised examples
Resource Partitioning and Why It Matters
Blog post on fundamental and realised niches (helps understanding)