Spatial distributions of niche-constructing populations

• Published in: Computational ecology and software Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 286 - 298
• Main Author: Xiaozhuo Han, Yaling Huang, Cang Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hong Kong Computational Ecology and Software 01.12.2015; International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IAEES); International Academy of Ecology and Environmental Sciences
• Subjects: Biological diversity; Construction; diversity; Dynamics; Ecology; environmental heterogeneity; Evolutionary; Heterogeneity; individual-based model; Mathematical models; organism-environmental feedback; Populations
• ISSN: 2220-721X; 2220-721X
• DOI: 10.0000/issn-2220-721x-compuecol-2015-v5-0021

Niche construction theory regards organisms not only as the object of natural selection but also an active subject that can change their own selective pressure through eco-evolutionary feedbacks. Through reviewing the existing works on the theoretical models of niche construction, here we present the progress made on how niche construction influences genetic structure of spatially structured populations and the spatial-temporal dynamics of metapopulations, with special focuses on mathematical models and simulation methods. The majority of results confirmed that niche construction can significantly alter the evolutionary trajectories of structured populations. Organism-environmental interactions induced by niche construction can have profound influence on the dynamics, competition and diversity of metapopulations. It can affect fine-scale spatially distribution of species and spatial heterogeneity of the environment. We further propose a few research directions with potentials, such as applying adaptive dynamics or spatial game theory to explore the effect of niche construction on phenotypic evolution and diversification.