Niche Width and Niche Overlap: A Method for Measuring Them

Ecology ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Pielou
Keyword(s):  
1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 1824-1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice M. Glime ◽  
Dale H. Vitt

Eleven alkaline western Canadian montane streams were sampled by transects to compare the bryophyte species cover, diversity, frequency, richness, niche width, and niche overlap in three vertical zones (relative to water level) with the same parameters in four acidic streams on Slide Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Resources for niche width and overlap include vertical distance from water surface, aspect in stream, substrate size, and percent bare substrate. Species cover, richness, and diversity increase from the submerged zone 1 (< −5 cm) to the terrestrial zone 3 (10–30 cm). Brillouin species diversity increases from 1.98 to 3.03 (means per stream) along the same gradient. All species except one from zone 1 also occur in zone 3. The niche widths for aspect in stream, substrate size, and vertical distance from water surface are all negatively correlated with their chi-square values, indicating that the width values are most reliable for small widths and become increasingly less reliable for large niche widths. Niche overlap is high among most species for at least one resource parameter.


2021 ◽  
Vol 248 ◽  
pp. 02023
Author(s):  
LI Yanxia ◽  
Jie Zhang

From the perspective of ecological niche, this paper constructs the evaluation index system of the competitiveness of beijing-tianjin-hebei high-tech industry, and analyzes the competitiveness of beijing-tianjin-hebei high-tech industry from the perspectives of niche value, niche width and niche overlap. The results show that :(1) from the perspective of ecological niche, the niche value of the competitiveness of high-tech industries in Beijing, tianjin and hebei does not show an increasing trend with time, and the overall value of the niche is ranked from the largest to the smallest: Beijing, tianjin and hebei.(2) from the niche breadth, beijing-tianjin-hebei high-tech industry competitiveness niche breadth range as follows: 0.26-0.83, Beijing niche width of the widest, hebei niche breadth the narrowest, Beijing and tianjin hi-tech industry competitiveness niche breadth value reduced trend on the whole, hebei niche breadth on overall growth trend.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin L. Johnson ◽  
Michael T. Henderson ◽  
David L. Anderson ◽  
Travis L. Booms ◽  
Cory T. Williams

Abstract Intra- and inter-specific resource partitioning within predator communities is a fundamental component of trophic ecology, and one proposed mechanism for how populations partition resources is through individual niche variation. The Niche Variation Hypothesis (NVH) predicts that interindividual trait variation leads to functional trade-offs in foraging efficiency, resulting in populations comprised of individual dietary specialists. A modified version of the NVH [mNVH] predicts niche specialization is plastic and responsive to fluctuating resource availability. We quantified niche overlap and tested the mNVH within an Arctic raptor guild, focusing on three species that employ different foraging strategies: Golden Eagles (generalists); Gyrfalcons (facultative specialists); and Rough-legged Hawks (specialists). Tundra ecosystems exhibit cyclic populations of arvicoline rodents (lemmings and voles), providing a unique system under which to examine interannual fluctuations in predator resource availability. Using blood δ13C & δ15N values from 189 raptor nestlings on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula (2014–2019), we calculated isotopic niche width and used Bayesian stable isotope mixing models (BSIMMs) to characterize individual specialization and test the mNVH. We observed a high degree of isotopic niche overlap between the three species and variable trophic responses to different stages of the arvicoline rodent cycle. Elevated arvicoline rodent abundance corresponded to reduced niche overlap among species and increased individual specialization in Golden Eagles and Gyrfalcons. Further, Gyrfalcons displayed a positive relationship between individual specialization and population niche width on an interannual basis consistent with the mNVH. Our findings suggest plasticity in niche specialization may reduce intra- and inter-specific resource competition under dynamic ecological conditions.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 3459
Author(s):  
Jie Wei ◽  
Zhulan Nie ◽  
Fenfen Ji ◽  
Longhui Qiu ◽  
Jianzhong Shen

The Kizil reservoir in the Tarim River basin is an important habitat for the native Schizothoracinae fish (including Aspiorhynchus laticeps, Schizothorax biddulphi, Schizothorax eurystomus, Schizothorax intermedius and Schizothorax barbatus). Unfortunately, these species are threatened by many exotic fish, such as Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Silurus asotus. As an isolated habitat, the Kizil reservoir is an ideal area for studying biological invasions. However, the impact of invasive species on indigenous species in this reservoir remains unknown. In this study, the niche width and niche overlap between invasive and indigenous species in Kizil reservoir were studied based on stable isotope analysis. The results showed that niche width of two invasive species, S. asotus and C. idellus, was larger than that of native fish species, which confirmed the hypotheses that successful invaders have larger niche width. The niche overlap analysis showed that the two invasive species had high niche overlap with native fish species, which meant that there might be intensive interspecific competitions between them. The invasion of non-native species could be the main reason for the decrease of native species in the Kizil reservoir.


2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1902) ◽  
pp. 20190369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Costa-Pereira ◽  
Márcio S. Araújo ◽  
Franco L. Souza ◽  
Travis Ingram

Competition plays a central role in the maintenance of biodiversity. A backbone of classic niche theory is that local coexistence of competitors is favoured by the contraction or divergence of species' niches. However, this effect should depend on the diversity of resources available in the local environment, particularly when resources vary in multiple ecological dimensions. Here, we investigated how available resource breadth (i.e. prey diversity) and competition together shape multidimensional niche variation (between and within individuals) and interspecific niche overlap in 42 populations of congeneric tropical frog species. We modelled realized niches in two key trophic dimensions (prey size and carbon stable isotopes) and sampled available food resources to quantify two-dimensional resource breadth. We found a 14-fold variation in multidimensional population niche width across populations, most of which was accounted for by within-individual diet variation. This striking variation was predicted by an interaction whereby individual niche breadth increased with resource breadth and decreased with the number of congeneric competitors. These ecological gradients also interact to influence the degree of niche overlap between species, which surprisingly decreased with population total niche width, providing novel insights on how similar species can coexist in local communities. Together, our results emphasize that patterns of exploitation of resources in multiple dimensions are driven by both competitive interactions and extrinsic factors such as local resource breadth.


1996 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Thiel ◽  
T Mehner ◽  
B Kopcke ◽  
R Kafemann

Diet composition, selectivity, food niche width and food niche overlap of early life stages of fishes were studied in the Barther Bodden system and in the Weser and Elbe estuaries during spring and summer from 1987 to 1991 and from 1993 to 1994. Larvae of perch (Perca fluviatilis) and roach (Rutilus rutilus) dominated in the Barther Bodden. Herring (Clupea harengus) and perch were the dominant species in the Barther Strom. Smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) was the most common species in the Elbe estuary. Sprat (Sprattus sprattus) was of most importance in the Weser estuary. The dominant prey of fish larvae were copepodids, nauplii and eggs of Eurytemora afinis. The highest food niche width was observed for nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus), three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and perch in the Barther Bodden. Negative selectivity indices indicated that populations of rotifers were scarcely influenced by predation by fish larvae. In contrast, E. affinis was preferred by early life stages of fish. Positive relationships were estimated between maximum prey lengths and predator lengths of different fish species. Key species with regard to niche overlap were nine-spined stickleback, roach, three-spined stickleback and perch in the Barther Bodden, perch and herring in the Barther Strom, herring and three-spined stickleback in the Elbe estuary, and sprat and common goby (Pomatoschisrus microps) in the Weser estuary. High geographical overlap between fish species occurred in the Elbe estuary and Barther Bodden, whereas high diet overlap was estimated for both the Weser estuary and Barther Strom.


2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smriti Anthwal ◽  
Ajay B. Bhatt ◽  
Bhagwati P. Nautiyal ◽  
Ashish Anthwal

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 2151-2162 ◽  
Author(s):  
URSULLA P. SOUZA ◽  
FABIO C. FERREIRA ◽  
MICHELE A.F. CARMO ◽  
FRANCISCO M.S. BRAGA

ABSTRACT In this paper, we determined diet composition, reproductive periodicity and fecundity of Astyanax intermedius in a headwater stream of a State Park of an Atlantic rainforest. We also evaluated the influence of rainfall, water temperature and fish size on niche width and niche overlap. Sampling was conducted monthly throughout one year in the Ribeirão Grande stream, southeastern Brazil. Diet consisted of 31 food items with equal contribution of allochthonous and autochthonous items. Females were larger than males, and the mean sizes at first maturation were 4.44 cm and 3.92 cm, respectively. Based on 212 pairs of mature ovaries, the number of oocytes per female ranged from 538 to 6,727 (mean = 2,688.7). Niche width and niche overlap were not related to rainfall nor water temperature and only niche width increased with fish size, suggesting that as fish grow, more items are included in diet. Our results suggested that A. intermedius fit as a typical opportunistic strategist which may explain the prevalence of this species in several isolated headwater basins of vegetated Atlantic forested streams where food resources are abundant and distributed throughout the year.


2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 713-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yimin ◽  
Sun Xihao ◽  
Gong Chongying
Keyword(s):  

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