Habitat and Niche, Concept Of

community An ecological term referring to a set of species that occur in the same location that have the potential to affect each other either directly or indirectly. community structure The web of potential biological interactions among members of a community that may be characterized in terms of diversity, complexity, hierarchy, and stability. ecotone A zone of transition between two different habitats that may contain a community of organisms distinct from either habitat. habitat structure Analogous to community structure, but limited to the physical structural aspects of a habitat. The structure of habitats may be characterized by such measures as complexity, heterogeneity, regularity, stratification, and fractal dimensionality. microhabitat Locations within a habitat where organisms may carry out important aspects of their lives, such as places for harvesting food, nesting, or taking shelter.