Community Ecology
Niche theory and guilds
Outline:
1. Definition of niche: response functions vs. resource utilization functions
A. Grinnell: emphasis on a species’ "place" (more than just locational)
B. Elton: emphasis on a species’ role
C. Hutchinson: emphasis on resources used by species
i. n-dimensional hypervolume
ii. fundamental vs. realized niches
iii. ecological release
2. So how can species coexist? Answer: niche partitioning
A.Pianka et al.’s work with null models
B. Niche shifts
C. Limiting similarity
i. the Hutchinsonian 1.3 size ratio
D. MacArthur’s work on species packing and niche compression
3. Niche vs. guild vs. functional group
Terms/people:
nicheguildfunctional groupGrinnell
EltonHutchinsonMacArthurPianka et al.
limiting similarityniche breadthniche overlap
R.B. Rootempty nicheniche shift
functional nicherealized nicheniche differentiation
1.3 character size rationiche compression
n-dimensional hypervolumecharacter displacement
ecological release
niche
Joseph Grinnell (1914) to denote a species’ "place" in the environment (i.e., set of environmental conditions that meet a species’ life-history requirements)
Difference between niche and habitat
Chas. Elton (1927) emphasized the role of a species in the environment
Gene Odum’s distinction between an organism’s “address” (habitat) and its “profession” (niche)
Do empty niches exist?
G. Evelyn Hutchinson (1957)
"n-dimensional hypervolume"
1. fundamental (pre-interactive) niche - potential niche
2. realized (post-interactive) niche - actual niche
example from Orians and Willson (1964) involving Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
“ecological release” – mongoose example
Ecological niches can thus be defined in terms of:
-response functions: how species are distributed on environmental gradients with respect to limitation and optimal performance (a physiological view, prevalent among plant ecologists), i.e., a species’ response to the environment (Grinnell, Elton)
-resource utilization functions: how species use resources (Hutchinson)
See handout for others’ definitions/explanations of niche.
So if a niche can only be occupied by one species, but if resources are limited such that competitors must share niche space, how similar in terms of niche can two species be and still coexist? The competitive exclusion principle states that coexistence hinges on niche differentiation (a.k.a. niche partitioning) in terms of:
niche breadth
niche overlap
Consider the words of Gause (1934), when discussing the competitive exclusion principle: "...as a result of competition two species hardly ever occupy similar niches, but displace each other in such a manner that each takes possess of certain kinds of food and modes of life in which it has an advantage over its competitor." This is niche partitioning.
Pianka et al. (1979): compared randomly generated distribution of niche overlap with real distributions from desert lizards.
Niche shifts
But since most organisms are rare and secretive, how do we observe niche shifts? We usually do so only indirectly, via morphology (Ricklefs and Travis 1980; see handout):
limiting similarity
character size ratios
Robert MacArthur (1958) examined niche overlap in a group of five sympatric warbler species (Bay-breasted, Myrtle, Blackburnian, Cape May, and Black-throated Green) in New Hampshire that were the same size and ate the same arthropod species in the same tree!: if they were so similar, how could they coexist?
- found that the birds partitioned the niche space physically
- with increased immigration, more species may arrive at that tree (species packing occurs), necessitating greater niche compression
But is niche compression the result of competition or to reduce competition?
Similar but distinct terms:
Guild -
Functional group -
Next time: food webs
References:
NOTE: the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences vol. 106 suppl. 2 (2009) has a special colloquium devoted to the niche concept.
Abrams, P.A. 1983. The theory of limiting similarity. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 14:359-376.
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Austin, M.P., J.G. Pausas, and A.O. Nicholls. 1996. Patterns of tree species richness in relation to environment in southeastern New South Wales, Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 21:154-164.
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Elton, C.S. 1927. Animal Ecology. Sidgwick and Jackson, London, UK.
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Gause, G.F. 1934. The Struggle for Existence. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD.
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Grinnell, J. 1917. The niche-relationships of the California Thrasher. Auk 34:427-433.
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Jaksíc, F.M. 1981. Abuse and misuse of the term "guild" in ecological studies. Oikos 37:397-400.
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MacArthur, R.H. 1958. Population ecology of some warblers of northeastern coniferous forests. Ecology 39:599-619.
MacMahon, J.A., D.J. Schimpf, D.C. Andersen, K.G. Smith, and R.L. Bayn, Jr. 1981. An organism-centered approach to some community and ecosystem concepts. J. Theoret. Biol. 88:287-307.
Murray, M.G., and D. Brown. 1993. Niche separation of grazing ungulates in the Serengeti: an experimental test. Journal of Animal Ecology 62:380-389.
Orians, G.H., and M.F. Willson. 1964. Interspecific territories of birds. Ecology 45:736-745.
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Precht, W.F. 1994. The use of the term guild in coral reef ecology and paleoecology: a critical evaluation. Coral Reefs 13:135-136.
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Root, R.B. 1967. The niche exploitation pattern of the blue-gray gnatcatcher. Ecol. Monogr. 37:317-350.
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