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On the basis of the theory of robust coexistence the ecological niche—one of the most controversial concepts in ecology—can be appropriately defined and operationalized. Abstract definitions for the notions of niche space, regulating variable, niche, niche overlap, and niche segregation are given in this chapter, with the range of their interpretation extended to alleles and clones besides the usual ecological (species-oriented) one. Models formulated in discrete and continuous niche spaces and temporal niches with circular (seasonal) timescales are explained. Several empirical examples of the three types of niche segregation (-trophical, spatial, and temporal) are introduced. Relation of temporal niche segregation and the storage effect is discussed. The community context dependence of the niche space and of the niche of any specific variant is emphasized and explicated. An evolutionary toy model of competition-induced diversification—the central idea of Darwin—closes the chapter.

This chapter examines how pastors match their own evaluation of themselves as “successful entrepreneurs” against external evaluations of them as “failures” based on conventional measures of success: large congregations, large bank accounts, and large sanctuaries. This chapter shows that an essential component of founding pastors’ beliefs that their churches are successful, even if they only have 30 members or are mortgaging their home to pay the church’s bills, is the ambiguous and difficult-to-quantify measure of “changed lives.” They argued the evidence of their success was the way parishioners’ souls have been revived, their lives have been rebuilt, and the communities around them have been revitalized. Sociologist Carl Bankston sees “religious environments as economies in which religious groups are firms competing for customers who make rational choices among available products.” With this in mind, this chapter also examines how pastors think about competition and their position in a competitive religious economy.

The structure of Asian dipterocarp forests is explored at local and regional scales, with particular consideration of possible explanations for the dominance of dipterocarps in Asian lowland forests. It is the dipterocarps that give Asian lowland rain forests their great stature and high biomass, and these issues are considered with reference to soil and disturbance at regional and local scales. The structure of dipterocarp forests is considered with respect to soil and topography. The role of biotic interactions, particularly with herbivores and mycorrhizal fungi, in determining dipterocarp performance, distributions, and dominance is also discussed.