What term refers to the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and how the organism uses those conditions?

• A. Niche
• B. Habitat
• C. Trophic Level
• D. Population

Answer: (A)

The term refers to the full range of conditions and how an organism uses them—its niche. This includes what resources it needs, how it obtains food, how it interacts with other organisms, the environmental factors it can tolerate like temperature or humidity, and the timing of its activities. In other words, niche describes the organism’s role and its functional position in the environment. By contrast, habitat is merely the physical place where it lives, such as a forest or a pond. Trophic level is about its position in the food chain, who it eats and who eats it. Population is the group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area.