Final answer:
The students' question about what best describes an organism's niche in its ecosystem is best answered by option 2: Its niche is its role in the environment and how it impacts its ecosystem. A niche encompasses the organism's interactions with biotic and abiotic factors, not just its diet or hunting methods.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding an Organism's Niche
An organism's niche in its ecosystem can be thought of as its specific role or how it 'makes a living.' The niche includes various factors such as what the organism eats, how it obtains its food, its role in the flow of energy in the ecosystem, and how it interacts with other organisms. This means a niche is not only about an organism's diet; it encompasses a broader spectrum of interactions, including symbiotic relationships, recycling of nutrients, and impact on the ecosystem. Therefore, the best description of an organism's niche would be option 2: Its niche is its role in the environment, specifically how it impacts its ecosystem.
Differences Between Niche and Habitat
While often used interchangeably, the terms niche and habitat are distinct. A habitat is the physical environment where an organism lives, whereas a niche includes the totality of an organism's interactions within its ecosystem. This differentiation is essential for understanding an organism's role within its environment and formulates a foundational concept in ecology known as the competitive exclusion principle.