Ecological niche

However, some of our deer individuals from the arid Joshua Tree National Park in California indicate unusual D-enrichment. This may derive from evapotranspiration in local plants that were part of the diet of the deer and/or in the body fluids of the animals themselves, as is expected in extremely diy environments (Cormie et al., 1994c Bowen et al., 2005). Deer occupy an ecological niche that is relatively simple from the perspective of hydrogen, as their diet consists of leafy vegetation and their water is obtained from surface waters (lakes and streams) that in many cases have D values closely representing mean annual precipitation. In contrast, omnivorous and carnivorous animals consume more diverse diets with more widely varying... 

The existence of microaerophilic organisms such as Wolinella succinogenes that was formerly considered an anaerobe or, conversely, the oxygen tolerance of many Clostridia, suggests that such organisms may occupy an ecological niche between the two extremes already noted. 

The biosphere includes ecological niches where microbes peacefully co-exist with their eukaryotic host in the human this includes the concept of the micro-biome [14], which is defined as the totality of microbial organisms that co-habit with human beings. On the other hand, microbial colonization of human mucosal surfaces or prosthetic devices, often results in the development of biofilms, with significant deleterious effects on human health [15]. These are some of the challenges in infectious diseases that reflect the need to maximally utilize genomic sequence information and related sciences to better control microbial disease in human populations, and to develop anti-microbial agents with a better therapeutic index. 

Lee M.D. and Newell D.G. (2005). Campylobacter in poultry filling an ecological niche, Avian Diseases, 50, 1-9. 

The major groups of microorganisms at aqueous-solid phase interfaces include viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and macro fauna (e. g., protozoa and arthropods). All of these microorganisms have specific ecological niches and functions, and each contributes to the overall biotic activity of this microenvironment. 

Bacteria-like microbes found in extreme environments ( extremophiles ) were sometimes presumed to belong exclusively to the specialized domain known as Archaea. However, it has transpired that the arrangement of microbes in ecological niches was not as simple as this - many Archaea have been found in temperate zones and in ecosystems similar to those occupied by bacteria, and some conventional microbes occupy extreme environments. 

Section 8.6.2, the Permian period ended with the largest mass extinction event that has yet occurred on planet Earth. As the ocean began a sustained recovery at the beginning of the Mesozoic era, opportunities likely abounded for the survivors to take over empty ecological niches through evolutionary adaptation. Prior to the advent of planktonic... 

We have to be aware that there are always exceptions to a general biological rule. While QA protect lupins against most pathogens, a few specialized ones have overcome the defense barrier by techniques that are still unknown. We showed recently (33) that this adaptation can be advantageous in two aspects a) A specialist may find an ecological niche which is not occupied by other species, b) A specialist may accumulate the alkaloids itself and can use the acquired toxicity for its own defense (33). 

Over 200 000 species of fungi have been characterised. The fungi are extremely responsive to environmental pressures and exhibit a high capacity to adapt to and colonise a variety of ecological niches. They can be found growing anywhere between the high mountains to the abyssal depths and from dry, polar regions to the hot, humid tropics. 

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