Correct option is D
The correct answer is (d) Ecological niche.
· The concept of the ecological niche was proposed by G. Evelyn Hutchinson in 1957.
· An ecological niche describes how an organism or a population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors and how it alters those same factors.
· It encompasses all biotic and abiotic factors that influence the survival, reproduction, and behavior of an organism.
· Hutchinson's concept of the niche is often referred to as the "n-dimensional hypervolume," where n represents the number of environmental factors affecting the species.
Information Booster:
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Ecological pyramid: This concept represents the trophic levels of ecosystems, showing the flow of energy or biomass at each level but does not describe the relationship to the environment.
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Ecological succession: Refers to the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time but does not describe the individual or population's relationship to all aspects of its environment.
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Ecological stratification: Refers to the layering of ecosystems or habitats but does not encapsulate the complete relationship of an organism or population to its environment.