Fundamental niche Definition and Examples - Biology Online Dictionary

Definition
noun
The full range of environmental conditions and resources an organism can possibly occupy and use, especially when limiting factors are absent in its habitat.
Supplement
The fundamental niche describes the potential area and resources an organism is capable of using. But the presence of limiting factors such as direct competition with other organisms, the organism tends to occupy a niche narrower than this.
Word origin: fundamental + niche
Compare: realized niche

See also: ecological niche.

Evolution of Life – Ancient Earth

Autotrophs flourished, absorbing carbon and light. Soon after, primitive life forms that could assimilate oxygen thrived. Life continued to diversify resulting in the rise of different organisms competing with one another for survival. Learn more about these single-celled life forms blossoming the primitive Earth...

Effect of Chemicals on Growth & Development in Organisms

Plants and animals need elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium for proper growth and development. Certain chemicals though can halt growth, e.g. herbicides in plants, or affect normal physiological activities, e.g. alcohol. For more info, read this tutorial on the effects of chemicals on plants and animals...

Mammalian Ancestors

Mammals are a diverse group of organisms, where most of them develop their offspring within the uterus of the mother. Over time, mammals have diversified into the placentals and the marsupials. Get a better understanding of how the mammals became dominant based on natural selection and geological events as elucidated in this tutorial...

Still Water Animals

Animals living in aquatic habitats have diversified and evolved through time. They eventually occupy ecological niches available in the ecosystem. Three regions exist in a freshwater environment: profundal, pelagic, and benthic. Get more information on each of these regions and how these regions led to the varying niches that freshwater animals eventually occupied...

Early Mammals on Earth

The Earth's ecosphere was rapidly changing and throwing up a wide range of ecological niches that new adaptive organisms, such as mammals, could fit into. Eventually, every continent of the planet had its own variety of mammalian organisms and their own unique evolutionary chain and direction. Learn more about the early mammals that roamed the Earth alongside other organisms, such as reptiles, fish, and birds...

Adaptive Radiation

The diversification of several new species from a recent ancestral source, each adapted to utilize or occupy a vacant adaptive zone is referred to as adaptive radiation. 'Darwin's Finches' exemplified adaptive radiation. For more elaborate info on adaptive radiation, read this tutorial...

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