G. Evelyn Hutchinson

a species is determined by the habitat and its behaviours. (1924), Charles Elton: classifies his niche according to foraging habits, an animals niche means its place in te biotic environment, its relation to food and competition. (1927) and G. Evelyn Hutchinson: N-dimensional, modern view on the niche concept. (1957). Grinnell’s niche refers to the habitat of an organism, taking potential or

harder to detect with the naked eye, and micro-variations in habitat are harder to see still. The physical size of environmental heterogeneity / variation is not indicative of its importance to biodiversity or its ecological relevance, however, as Hutchinson reveals in his 1959 paper. He discusses the importance of the mosaic nature of the environment as a significant contributor to biodiversity. While large-scale variations in habitat are certainly important factors in organismal diversity and are