Editing Ecological niche (section)

== Niche and Geographic Range ==
[[File:Competitive exclusion in barnacles eu.svg|thumb|351x351px|Diagram representation of the effects of competitive exclusion on the barnacle ''Chthamalus stellatus'' in the intertidal zone.  The fundamental and realized geographic ranges of ''C. stellatus'' are represented by the dark blue and light blue bars, respectively. {{in lang|eu}}]]
[[File:Model of ecological niche.svg|thumb|Graph depicting how a realized niche fits within a fundamental niche depending on varying abiotic factors]]
The [[Species distribution|geographic range]] of a species can be viewed as a spatial reflection of its niche, along with characteristics of the geographic template and the species that influence its potential to colonize.  The '''fundamental geographic range''' of a species is the area it occupies in which environmental conditions are favorable, without restriction from barriers to disperse or colonize.<ref name="Biogeography" />  A species will be confined to its '''realized geographic range''' when confronting biotic interactions or abiotic barriers that limit dispersal, a more narrow subset of its larger fundamental geographic range.

An early study on ecological niches conducted by [[Joseph H. Connell]] analyzed the environmental factors that limit the range of a barnacle (''Chthamalus stellatus'') on Scotland's Isle of Cumbrae.<ref name="Connell 1961 710–723">{{Cite journal|last=Connell|first=Joseph H.|date=1961|title=The Influence of Interspecific Competition and Other Factors on the Distribution of the Barnacle Chthamalus Stellatus|url=https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2307/1933500|journal=Ecology|language=en|volume=42|issue=4|pages=710–723|doi=10.2307/1933500|jstor=1933500|bibcode=1961Ecol...42..710C |issn=1939-9170}}</ref> In his experiments, Connell described the dominant features of ''C. stellatus'' niches and provided explanation for their distribution on [[intertidal zone]] of the rocky coast of the Isle. Connell described the upper portion of C. stellatus's range is limited by the barnacle's ability to resist dehydration during periods of low tide. The lower portion of the range was limited by interspecific interactions, namely competition with a cohabiting barnacle species and predation by a snail.<ref name="Connell 1961 710–723"/> By removing the competing ''B. balanoides'', Connell showed that ''C. stellatus'' was able to extend the lower edge of its realized niche in the absence of [[Competitive exclusion principle|competitive exclusion]]. These experiments demonstrate how biotic and abiotic factors limit the distribution of an organism.