Ecological Release
The expansion of an organism's niche when competitors, predators, or other limiting factors are removed. Species may exploit resources or habitats they couldn't access when constrained.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 2 chapters:
"... This is an invasive species: an organism introduced to an ecosystem where it has no natural predators, competitors, or diseases, experiencing ecological release - freedom from the constraints that limit population in its native habitat. Kudzu, a Japanese vine introduced to the American South in the 1870s, ..."
"...ood from seabirds - a niche with no mainland analog. This pattern - colonizers radiating to fill roles occupied by specialists elsewhere - is called ecological release. Without competitors, selection favors generalist populations fragmenting into specialists. Specialization increases efficiency at exploiting a parti..."
Biological Context
Island species often show ecological release—broader diets, expanded habitats, and higher population densities than mainland relatives because competitors and predators are absent. When wolves were removed from Yellowstone, elk experienced ecological release, expanding into areas and eating plants they had avoided.
Business Application
Market ecological release: when a dominant competitor exits or is disrupted, remaining players expand into newly available territory. Blockbuster's collapse released Netflix from competition; Kodak's decline released digital camera makers.