D. Connective tissue cells. Loose connective tissue contains a variety of cell types. Those that will be considered in this lecture include: (1) endothelial cells, (2) pericytes, (3) fibroblasts, (4) macrophages, (5) plasma cells, (6) mast cells, and (7) fat cells.
niche noun [ C ] (POSITION) âº a job or position that is very suitable for someone, especially one that they like: He has carved/made a niche for himself as a financial advisor. âº an area or position that is exactly suitable for a small group of the same type: an ecological niche.
Ecological niche. In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in an ecosystem. More formally, the niche includes how a population responds to the abundance of its resources and enemies (e. g., by growing when resources are abundant, and predators, parasites and pathogens are scarce) and how it affects those same factors (e. g., by reducing the abundance of resources through consumption and contributing to the population growth of enemies by falling prey to them).