Ecological niches linking classical and contemporary approaches - Chase, Jonathan M. (University of Chicago Press, 2003)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-205)
Introduction: History, context, and purpose. -- Revising the niche concept: definitions and mechanistic models. -- Comparing classical and contemporary niche theory. -- Designs and limitations of empirical approaches to the niche. -- Incorporating biological complexities. -- Environmental variability in time and space. -- Species sorting in communities. -- Community succession, assembly, and biodiversity. -- Niche relations within ecosystems. -- The evolutionary niche. -- Conclusion
Although the niche concept has fallen into disfavour among ecologists in recent years, this book argues that the niche is an ideal tool with which to unify disparate research and theoretical approaches in contemporary ecology. The authors define the niche as including both what an organism needs from its environment and how that organism's activities shape its environment. Drawing on the theory of consumer-resource interactions, as well as its graphical analysis, they develop a framework for understanding niches that is flexible enough to include a variety of small- and large-scale processes, from resource competition, predation, and stress to community structure, biodiversity, and ecosystem function