Question

An ecologist was observing two species of mouse that lived at different elevations on a mountain. In the lab, she observed that the two species ate the same diet and so she hypothesized that they had the same fundamental niche, but that the high elevation species was occupying a realized niche. How could she test the hypothesis

Answer 1

The species had the same fundamental niche, but the high-altitude species was occupying a perceived niche, as it was inhabiting a different ecosystem, with different adaptations, but being the same species.

Why is the perceived niche considered a subset of the fundamental niche?

Well, as we know, the perceived niche is smaller than the fundamental niche, in other words it is a specific portion of the fundamental niche, so it is considered a subset of the fundamental niche.

With this information, we can conclude that the species had the same fundamental niche, but that the high-altitude species was occupying a perceived niche, as it was inhabiting a different ecosystem, with different adaptations, but being the same species.

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