Question

Ecological niche is
A. the surface area of the ocean
B. an ecologically adapted zone
C. the physical position and functional role of a species within the community
D.formed of all plants and animals living at the bottom of a lake

Answer 1

Hint:- Ecology is a branch of biology related to the spatial and temporal trends, including causes and effects, of the distribution and abundance of species. Ecology is not synonymous with ecology or simply natural history. Ecology overlaps with the disciplines of evolutionary biology, genetics and ethology, which are closely related. For ecologists, an important focus is to enhance the understanding of how biodiversity impacts ecosystem functioning.

Complete Answer:-
In nature, a niche is a species' match to a particular environmental situation. It explains how an individual or population reacts to the distribution of resources and competitors and how it in turn changes those same variables. For example, by growing (both by mass and population) when resources are available and when predators, pests and pathogens are scarce, other species have reduced access to resources, serving as a source of food for predators and as a collector of prey. Depending on the geographical and biotic context, the form and number of variables comprising the dimensions of an environmental niche vary from one species to another and the relative importance of specific environmental variables for a species can differ. A species' niche includes all its interactions with both biotic ( living things) and abiotic factors (non-living things ) in its environment.

Therefore the correct answer is option C.

Note:- Example of Ecological niche; the Blue whale is generally located in the Antarctic, Indian and northeastern Pacific Oceans. Their diet is only based on small crustaceans also known as krill and is almost impossible to hunt by other animals due to their enormous size.