Defining the niche for niche construction: evolutionary and ecological niches

Rose Trappes

doi:10.1007/s10539-021-09805-2

Abstract

Niche construction theory (NCT) aims to transform and unite evolutionary biology and ecology. Much of the debate about NCT has focused on construction. Less attention has been accorded to the niche: what is it, exactly, that organisms are constructing? In this paper I compare and contrast the definition of the niche used in NCT with ecological niche definitions. NCT’s concept of the evolutionary niche is defined as the sum of selection pressures affecting a population. So defined, the evolutionary niche is narrower than the ecological niche. Moreover, when contrasted with a more restricted ecological niche concept, it has a slightly different extension. I point out three kinds of cases in which the evolutionary niche does not coincide with realized ecological niches: extreme habitat degradation, commensalism, and non-limiting or super-abundant resources. These conceptual differences affect the role of NCT in unifying ecology and evolutionary biology.

Highlights

The past thirty-odd years have seen the development of a new player in the field of evolutionary theory, niche construction theory (NCT)
Niche construction is the process by which organisms make changes to the environment, relocate to a different environment, or in any other way alter the environment experienced by the focal organism, its conspecifics, or members of another species (Odling-Smee et al 2003)
This is despite the fact that the definition of niche employed in NCT is at least superficially distinct from standard definitions of the ecological niche

Summary

Introduction

The past thirty-odd years have seen the development of a new player in the field of evolutionary theory, niche construction theory (NCT). The general principle underlying NCT is that organisms can directly influence evolutionary processes by altering their environments. Niche construction is the process by which organisms make changes to the environment, relocate to a different environment, or in any other way alter the environment experienced by the focal organism, its conspecifics, or members of another species (Odling-Smee et al 2003). Niche construction, it is argued, affects the direction and speed of evolutionary change and should

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