Ontogenetic niche shift

The metamorphosis exhibited in frogs is one of the many examples of the ontogenetic niche shifting.

Ontogenetic niche shift (abbreviated ONS)[1] is an ecological phenomenon where an organism (usually an animal) changes its diet or habitat during its ontogeny (development).[2] During the ontogenetic niche shifting an ecological niche of an individual changes its breadth and position.[3] The best known representatives of taxa that exhibit some kind of the ontogenetic niche shift are fish (e.g. migration of so-called diadromous fish between saltwater and freshwater for purpose of breeding[2]), insects (e.g. metamorphosis between different life stages; such as larva, pupa and imago[2]) and amphibians (e.g. metamorphosis from tadpole to adult frog[2]).[4] A niche shift is thought to be determined genetically, while also being irreversible.[5] Important aspect of the ONS is the fact, that individuals of different stages of a population (e.g. of various age or size) utilize different kind of resources and habitats.[6][7] The term was introduced in a 1984 paper by biologists Earl E. Werner and James F. Gilliam.[1][8]

  1. ^ a b Fokkema, Wimke; van der Jeugd, Henk P.; Lameris, Thomas K.; Dokter, Adriaan M.; Ebbinge, Barwolt S.; de Roos, André M.; Nolet, Bart A.; Piersma, Theunis; Olff, Han (2020-06-01). "Ontogenetic niche shifts as a driver of seasonal migration". Oecologia. 193 (2): 285–297. Bibcode:2020Oecol.193..285F. doi:10.1007/s00442-020-04682-0. ISSN 1432-1939. PMC 7320946. PMID 32529317.
  2. ^ a b c d Takimoto, Gaku (2003). "Adaptive Plasticity in Ontogenetic Niche Shifts Stabilizes Consumer‐Resource Dynamics". The American Naturalist. 162 (1): 93–109. doi:10.1086/375540. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 12856239. S2CID 25740508.
  3. ^ Eriksson, Ove (2011-02-02). "Ontogenetic niche shifts and their implications for recruitment in three clonal Vaccinium shrubs: Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and Vaccinium oxycoccos". Canadian Journal of Botany. 80 (6): 635–641. doi:10.1139/b02-044.
  4. ^ Nakazawa, Takefumi (2015). "Ontogenetic niche shifts matter in community ecology: a review and future perspectives". Population Ecology. 57 (2): 347–354. doi:10.1007/s10144-014-0448-z. ISSN 1438-390X. S2CID 16685115.
  5. ^ Claessen, D.; Dieckmann, U. (2001). "Ontogenetic Niche Shifts and Evolutionary Branching in Size-Structured Populations". pure.iiasa.ac.at. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
  6. ^ Lindmark, Elin (2021). Habitat availability and ontogenetic niche shifts : The effects on adult size of lake-living brown trout (Salmo trutta).
  7. ^ Nakazawa, Takefumi (2011-02-08). "Alternative Stable States Generated by Ontogenetic Niche Shift in the Presence of Multiple Resource Use". PLOS ONE. 6 (2): e14667. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...614667N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0014667. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3035614. PMID 21346805.
  8. ^ Werner, E E; Gilliam, J F (1984-11-01). "The Ontogenetic Niche and Species Interactions in Size-Structured Populations". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 15 (1): 393–425. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.15.110184.002141. ISSN 0066-4162.