Niche
Generally, a niche is a special place within the scheme of things. It sometimes denotes the function or position of a thing within a structure. Niche is an English word of French origin.
Architecture
Expanding from its primary sense as an architectural recess, a niche is a small concavity or an enclosure that is set back (e.g., indented). It can be defined as a recess, hollow, crack, crevice, or foothold where an esthetice or iconic object can be placed. Altars in churches, reredos, can be embedded with niches for statues. The Domus Aurea possessed rooms sheathed in dazzling polished white marble were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras that concentrated or dispersed the daylight.
See also: Grotto, Wave cut platform
Ecology
Main article: Ecological niche
In ecology, a niche would be the position occupied by an organism (or group of organisms) within an ecosystem or the conditions making possible a habitat. The conditions needed to survive for an organism is a niche and other competing organisms affect this. This niche defines the organism's role in the ecological community. A niche here implies a species? ability to survive. Adaptablity of a species is important to what niche it can hold.
Different species can hold similar niches in different locations and same species may occupy different niche in different locations. The Australian grasslands grass species, though different from those of the Great Plains grasslands, occupy the same niche. Once a niche is left vacant other organism can fill into that position. The niche that was left vacant by the extinction of the tarpan has been filled by other animals (inparticular a small horse breed, the konik). Plants and animals, though perfectly suited to their environmental niche in their home country, can sometimes become a serious pest when taken to a different location.
See also: Introduced species, Information ecology
Industry
A niche can also be a situation or an activity perfectly suited to a person. A niche can imply a working position or an area suited to a person who occupies it. Basically, a job where a person is able to succeed and thrive.
