A Niche for Everyone

Go outside, find a tree. Lie down beside it or climb up to perch on a sturdy branch. Relax, stay quiet, and look around. You might be surprised at what you see. A tree is more than roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. In many ways, a tree is like an apartment building--home for many creatures.Birds and squirrels build nests on branches or inside holes. You might spot a tree frog hidden among leaves. Ants and spiders scurry over the bark, and beetles burrow into the wood. Mushrooms sprout from crevices.As the sun goes down, a whole new crew of critters emerge. A raccoon or an opossum might climb out of a tree-hole den to find fruit and insects to eat. Bats skim over the treetop, catching moths and mosquitoes. An owl lands silently on a branch to watch for a mouse on the ground.All these living things form a natural community.The tree is part of their habitat.A habitat may be as small as a single tree or as big as a forest. The members of a community depend on their habitat for food, water, shelter, and other natural resources.Each kind, or species,of living thing fits into a different role or nichein its community. The niche of an animal includes what it eats and when it is active, where it sleeps and raises young, and much more. Who Lives Where? Humans are different from most other animals because we can live in almost any habitat. We bottle water to carry with us and buy food grown around the world. But we have niches too. You might live in a house, while your friend has an apartment. Some people are omnivores,eating all kinds of food from plants and animals. Some are vegetarians, eating no meat at all. Some people have more energy in the morning, and others get going later in the day and stay active into the night. How does your niche compare with that of friends and family? Knowing your niche can be a fascinating way to understand your role in the world. Compete or Share? Many kinds of living things can share a habitat if each has a different niche. But even then, every habitat has a limited amount of shelter, food, water, and other resources. Species that try to share exactly the same niche will compete.Imagine a cool autumn morning. You wake suddenly as high-pitched whistles, chirps, and chatter fill the air outside your windows. Two furry animals skitter down a nearby tree trunk and zigzag across the ground. A red squirrel is chasing a gray squirrel nearly twice its size.The squirrels are competing for this piece of habitat, or territory. The red squirrel is fiercely territorial.This little rodent defends its territory against other squirrels, birds, and people.Protecting a territory is one way to divide up resources. Changing niches is another way. To stop competing, the gray squirrel might move to another habitat. Or animals can find a new niche in the same territory by using different resources. One of the competing species might find a new kind of place to make its nest. Or a rival might find other kinds of foods to eat. The rivals might be active at different times of day or year.Even small changes can relieve the stress of competition and make it easier for similar species to live together. Then everyone has a unique niche. Answer each question based on the article you’ve read. Please be thorough in your explanations. Write in your own words when appropriate. The author compares the tree to an apartment. Describe the natural community in which you live, including details about your habitat and niche. An animal’s niche includes: Give two examples of what an omnivore might eat: When two species try to share the same niche they must compete for resources. What are two ways that different species can divide up resources? Why would choosing a different food source make it easier for two species of squirrel to live together? "My Niche" Draw a picture depicting the food portion of your niche (what you eat): Draw a picture depicting the habitat portion of your niche (where you live): Draw a picture depicting the activity portion of your niche (when you're most active):