The following criteria test for the presence of niche construction (Criteria 1 and 2) and determine when niche construction affects evolution (Criterion 3) (Matthews et al, 2014):
Criterion 1) An organism (i.e., a candidate niche constructor) must significantly modify environmental conditions.
Criterion 2) The organism-mediated environmental modifications must influence selection pressures on a recipient of niche construction.
Criterion 3) There must be a detectable evolutionary response in a recipient of niche construction that is caused by the environmental modification of the niche constructor.
Odling-Smee FJ, Laland KN, Feldman MW 2003. Niche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution. Princeton: Princeton University Press An authoritative, rigorous and extensive introduction to niche construction theory.
Matthews B, De Meester L, Jones CG, Iberlings BW, Bouma TJ, Nuutinen V, van der Koppel J & Odling-Smee J. 2014. Under niche construction: an operational bridge between ecology, evolution and ecosystem science. Ecological Monographs. 84.2: 245–263. This article clarifies how niche construction and ecosystem engineering can be distinguished, and illustrates how the former can be investigated.
