Diversity, Dilemmas, and Monopolies of Niche Construction

Modeling NC as a process that changes the capacity of the environment is common and finds inspiration in natural behaviors, such as nest-constructing species.

“Modeling NC as a process that changes the capacity of the environment is common (Laland et al., 1999;Krakauer et al., 2009) and finds inspiration in natural behaviors, such as nest-constructing species.”

Previous studies have primarily modeled NC in two different ways: as an increase in the amount of resources that increases the environment's capacity and as a direct increase or decrease in fitness that does not affect capacity.

“Previous studies have primarily modeled NC in two different ways: as an increase in the amount of resources that increases the environment's capacity (Laland et al., 1999;Krakauer et al., 2009) and as a direct increase or decrease in fitness that does not affect capacity (Suzuki and Arita, 2009).”

Such models come with limitations, such as the fact that niches are identical and agents are not plastic.

“Such models lent intuitive insights, such that NC can emerge without direct selection (Laland et al., 1999) and that the ability to monopolize niches enables the emergence of NC (Krakauer et al., 2009) but come with limitations, such as the fact that niches are identical and agents are not plastic.”

NC studies were at first primarily theoretical, employing differential equations to predict how NC affects evolution.

“NC studies were at first primarily theoretical, employing differential equations to predict how NC affects evolution (Laland et al., 1999;Krakauer et al., 2009).”

The ability to monopolize niches enables the emergence of NC.

“Such models lent intuitive insights, such that NC can emerge without direct selection (Laland et al., 1999) and that the ability to monopolize niches enables the emergence of NC (Krakauer et al., 2009) but come with limitations, such as the fact that niches are identical and agents are not plastic.”