Hutchinson’s ecological niche for individuals

Abstract We here develop a concept of an individualized niche in analogy to Hutchison’s population-level the ecological niche. consider (ecological) as range environmental conditions under which particular individual has expected lifetime reproductive success ≥ 1. Our primarily function, it refers match phenotype its contemporary environment (niche fit) while we discuss evolutionary fitness evaluative parameter this fit. address four specific challenges that occur when scaling down from populations individuals. In particular, (1) consequences uniqueness individuals population and corresponding lack statistical replication, (2) dynamic nature niches how they can be studied either time-slice niches, prospective or trajectory-based (3) dimensionality niche, is greater than due additional dimensions intra-specific space, (4) boundaries space defined by inferred marginalizing functions across phenotypes environments. frame our discussion context recent interest causes differences animal behavior.