Niche Construction: Implications for Human Sciences

Abstract Niche construction is the process whereby organisms, through their activities, interactions, and choices, modify their own and each other's niches. By using and transforming natural selection, niche construction generates feedback in evolution at various levels. Niche‐constructing species play important ecological roles by creating and modifying habitats and resources used by other species, thereby affecting the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems. This process is often referred to as ecosystem engineering . This engineering can have significant downstream consequences for succeeding generations—often referred to as an ecological inheritance . One key emphasis of niche‐construction theory is on the evolutionary role played by acquired characters in transforming selective environments. This is particularly relevant to human evolution, where our species has engaged in extensive environmental modification through cultural practices. Humans can construct developmental environments that feed back to affect how individuals learn and develop and the diseases to which they are exposed. Here we provide an introduction to niche construction and illustrate some of its more important implications for the human sciences.