Niche construction refers to the modification of selective environments by organisms. Theoretical and empirical studies of niche construction are increasing in importance as foci in evolutionary ecology. This special edition presents theoretical and empirical research that illustrates the significance of niche construction to the field. Here we set the scene for the following papers by (1) discussing the history of niche construction research, (2) providing clear definitions that distinguish niche construction from related concepts such as ecosystem engineering and the extended phenotype, (3) providing a brief summary of the findings of niche construction research, (4) discussing the contribution of niche construction and ecological inheritance to (a) expanded notions of inheritance, and (b) the extended evolutionary synthesis, and (5) briefly touching on some of the issues that underlie the controversies over niche construction.

中文翻译：

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利基构建理论简介

生态位构建是指生物体对选择性环境的改变。作为进化生态学的焦点，生态位构建的理论和实证研究越来越重要。本特别版介绍了理论和实证研究，说明了利基建设对该领域的重要性。在这里，我们通过以下方式为以下论文奠定基础：（1）讨论生态位构建研究的历史，（2）提供明确的定义，将生态位构建与生态系统工程和扩展表型等相关概念区分开来，（3）提供简短的总结生态位构建研究的结果，（4）讨论生态位构建和生态遗传对（a）扩展继承概念和（b）扩展进化综合的贡献，以及（5）简要讨论了一些问题这是关于利基建设的争议的根源。