Difference Between Habitat and Niche - Definition
A habitat is a natural environment in which a certain organism lives and makes use of the resources available to it to survive, obtain food, shelter, and protection, among other things.
The word "habitat" comes from the Latin word "habitare," which means "to live in."
An organism's habitat is characterized by its physical and biological features. Physical factors include soil type, land availability, sunlight, temperature, and climatic conditions. Food availability and the absence or presence of predators are examples of biological factors.
Plants, too, need space in both diameter and height. Giant plants with thick trunks and huge heights may not be able to grow or live in a park or yard.
There is a big difference between where animals live and where they can get food. Even if there is enough space, water, and shelter, if there isn't enough food, it isn't a good place to live and hence, it isn’t a habitat.
Niche
A species' niche is its effective role and position in its environment, describing how it responds to the location of resources, rivals, and predators.
A niche can include what an individual eats, how they interact with other living things, and non-living variables.
Niches consume the movement of energy from one species to another. Therefore, accepting how a species consumes or interacts with other animals in an environment is critical for maintaining ecological equilibrium.
Without ecological niches, biological diversity would be reduced, and the ecosystem would be out of balance.
The fundamental niche is made up of all of the biotic and abiotic components that a species uses over time, and the elements that limit the population, such as competition and predators, are called limiting factors.
Difference between Habitat and Niche
Deals with
Habitat: Temperature, rainfall, and other abiotic elements all have an impact on habitat.
Niche: A movement of energy from one organism to another across an ecosystem is included in the niche.
Changes
Habitat: For a longer period, an animal's habitat remains the same.
Niche:Seasons, for example, can cause living beings to change their niche in a short period.
Nature
Habitat: It is a physical place.
Niche: It is a role performed by organisms.
Specificity
Habitat: It is not species-specific.
Niche: It is species-specific.
Examples
Habitat: Deserts, oceans, forests, rivers, mountains, etc.
Niche: Only a section of the habitat, the niche, can provide safety for living beings.
Influence
Habitat: A species' niche may be influenced by its habitat.
Niche: Niche is a habitat solution that has little impact on species' environments.
Both habitat and niche play a significant role in our environment. They do not just facilitate interaction between living organisms and their environment but also harbour the vital biotic and abiotic agents.
Though habitat and niche are closely related and quite interdependent, we must not confuse between these two. Consequently, to understand the fundamental difference between habitat and niche, one needs to start from the very basics.
For instance, becoming familiar with their definitions and learning about their examples will help you to uncover the point of difference of habitat vs niche more comprehensively.
On that note, let us proceed to find out more about habitat and niche!
What is a Habitat?
Habitat definition biology can be defined as an ideal space wherein a particular species lives, grows, adapts and reproduces. It is their natural environment where they tend to flourish without feeling threatened.
Typically, a habitat comprises biotic and abiotic factors; while the biotic factors include microscopic organisms, plants and animals, the abiotic factors include wind, temperature, moisture, soil, etc.
One can find several environmental variables in habitat, and it also contains many niches. Some of the most common examples of natural habitat include mountains, lake, pond, forest, desert, ocean, grasslands, etc.
What is a Niche in Biology?
It describes how particular organisms are linked or dependent on their immediate habitat and how they survive in different situations. A niche is more like an ideology explaining the distributional unit and hence does not comprise any distinctive component.
Nevertheless, it includes the energy flow and how it transfers from one living organism to another through their ecosystem. In a broader sense, it is a part of the natural habitat.
Notably, a niche tends to support only a single species at any given time and is essentially an activity of different organisms and their appearance. For instance, how an organism meets its requirement of food and shelter come under the examples of a niche.
Typically, there are 3 aspects of a niche in ecology, namely –
Habitat Niche: It describes the microhabitat occupied by different species in a general habitat.
Multidimensional Niche: It helps to understand the position of a particular species in the gradient of the environment.
Trophic Niche: It is accountable for the functional role of a specific species and how the species’ position is in comparison to others.
Now that we have discussed the habitat and niche definition in science, let us proceed to check out the fundamental differences between them.
The table below highlights the major difference between habitat and niche.
Difference Between Habitat and Niche
Notably, the fundamental difference between habitat and niche lies in their definition, composition, nature and specificity. It can be said that in an ecosystem, a habitat comprises the physical part whereas a niche makes up the functional parts.
Nevertheless, both habitat and niches play a significant role in the ecosystem as they facilitate the growth and survival of the components of the environment and ensure its sustenance.
Adopt and Improvise!
Since a major section of questions is based on the scope of biology, you must be well-versed in all its important concepts. Even though the syllabus is quite vast, you can strengthen your revision quite effectively by adopting smart revision techniques and improvising existing revision plans.
For instance, switch to charts, tables and diagrams when you are covering topics like the difference between habitat and niche. It will not only make the revision process quick and hassle-free but will further help you to retain important information pertaining to habitat vs niche effectively.
Also, do not forget to take ample rest in between your study sessions!
Good Luck for NEET 2025!
FAQs on Difference Between Habitat and Niche | NEET
1. What is the Difference Between a Habitat and a Niche?
A habitat is an area where a number of species live, flourish and interact with other vital factors of the environment. On the other hand, a niche is an ideology that highlights how a particular species lives and survives under given conditions.
2. What is a Niche Definition in Science? Provide Suitable Examples.
In science, a niche can be defined as the role a particular species plays in an ecosystem. It is essentially the way how an organism lives and survives. For instance, the niche of an earthworm living in the soil is the decomposition of dead organisms.
3. What is Ecology?
It is fundamentally the study of the interaction and dependency of living organisms with their physical environment. Ecology helps to understand how organisms interact and get influenced by their surroundings. Molecular ecology, community ecology, global ecology, organismal ecology, etc. are among its important types.
4. What are the Biotic and Abiotic Factors? Explain their Role.
Both biotic and abiotic factors are vital components of an ecosystem. Notably, the biotic factors include flora and fauna of an environment, whereas, the abiotic factors include temperature, rainfall, salinity, etc. The biotic factors are dependent on abiotic factors for their growth and sustenance.
5. What is ecology and what is its importance?
Ecology is the science that examines the interconnections of humans, organisms, and their environment. Ecology entails the examination of the food chain in a wetland environment.
Ecology makes our planet better and is important for human happiness and growth. It helps us understand how people and nature work together, which is important for food production, clean air and water, and biodiversity conservation in a changing climate.
6. Explain with an example how many niches are in one habitat?
In some habitats, there may be multiple niches.
Example:
A tree in a grassy meadow, a little pond in the woods, or a large rock on the shore.
Two or more bird species, as well as squirrels, bats, and various insects, may reside on the tree. Even though they all live on the same tree, each organism has its way of living.
There are several microhabitats on and around the tree, and each species only occupies a small portion of the larger habitat.
7. What happens when habitats and niches are close to one another?
If two niches overlap, it indicates that the two species have a common supply of food or resources. These resources could include food, space, or anything else that they and their offspring require to survive and reproduce.
There will inevitably be rivalry between the two species if resources are restricted and there is not enough for both.
8. How many types of niches are there?
There are three types of niches based on how species interact with the physical and biological world. -
Spatial Niche
A spatial niche, also known as a habitat niche, is the physical area within a species' habitat that it occupies.
Trophic Niche
The trophic level occupied by a species in the food chain or ecological chain is referred to as its trophic niche.
Multidimensional Niche
The concept of a multidimensional niche consists of the fundamental niche concept and the limiting factors.
9. How is ecology distinct from the ecosystem?
Ecology and ecosystem are two concepts used interchangeably to describe how creatures interact with their surroundings.
Ecology is the study of living species' relationships and interactions with other living organisms and the environment. The term "ecosystem" refers to a subset of ecology.
There is an abiotic factor, which includes all animals, plants, and microorganisms, as well as an abiotic factor, which includes all non-living physical things in the environment.
Ecology is the study of ecosystems, whereas ecosystems are the units generated by the interaction of a community of organisms with the environment.
