The Niche as a Theoretical Tool

Abstract

For several decades, the concept of the niche has enriched sociological theory. The niche represents the position or function of an entity, such as an organization or population of organizations, within a larger community environment. Using the concept of the niche allows researchers to go beyond classifying entities to understanding (a) their life chances under different and changing environmental conditions and (b) how they interact under the competitive conditions induced by a finite environment. We briefly review the intellectual history of the niche concept as it came from bioecology to sociology. The bulk of the article reviews the two major streams of sociological research that use the niche concept: the population ecology of organizations and McPherson's ecology of affiliation. Finally, we survey commonalities between these approaches and highlight new directions, including applications that take the niche concept well beyond its origins in organizational studies.

Environmental and spatial processes determining Ephemeroptera (Insecta) structures in tropical streams

“…However, ecological theories have been based almost exclusively on the relationship between community and environment, with species diversity being related to environmental heterogeneity (Popielarz and Neal, 2007). Thus, as a general rule, community diversity is expected to reflect variations in local physical and chemical conditions (Ricklefs, 1987).…”

“…The ecological niche theory, based on the niche concept of Hutchinson (1957), assumes that the use of resources determines ecological segregation and competition often plays the major role in determining the distribution of species abundance in space and time (Case and Gilpin, 1974). Thus, according to the niche theory, similar environments would present similar species composition in the absence of competition (Chase, 2003;Popielarz and Neal, 2007). According to Rios (2004), the niche theory emerged from the desire to explain why in most communities a large number of species coexist without mutual exclusion, even though many of them use the same resources, and why in these communities some species are abundant, some are common and others, usually the majority, are rare.…”

A population ecology perspective on the functioning and future of health information organizations

“…Specifically, the extent of competition between organizations for finite resources, each organizations' capabilities, and changes to the institutional environment combine to define the "range of conditions" (i.e. the niche) in which a population of organizations can survive (Popielarz & Neal, 2007). Organizational fit, or lack thereof, within these environment constraints in turn selects organizations for survival or adaptation (Betton & Dess, 1985).…”

The effects of environmental integrity on the diversity of mayflies, Leptophlebiidae (Ephemeroptera), in tropical streams of the Brazilian Cerrado

“…Environmental heterogeneity is a major factor determining the biodiversity of aquatic systems (Popielarz and Neal, 2007), by enabling the more ample partitioning of niches (Holzman et al, 2011;Heino, 2013). Impacted environments tend to become more homogeneous, resulting in a decline in diversity due to the prevalence of more generalist species over specialist ones (Popielarz and Neal, 2007).…”

“…Impacted environments tend to become more homogeneous, resulting in a decline in diversity due to the prevalence of more generalist species over specialist ones (Popielarz and Neal, 2007).…”