Data from: Evolutionary rescue of niche constructors from habitat exploitation

Organisms can improve their fitness by modifying their environments—a
process known as (positive) niche construction. Since niche construction
is inherently costly, requiring time and energy to perform, niche
constructors are vulnerable to displacement by non-niche-constructing
invaders that exploit the constructed habitats. One way constructors could
avoid such displacement is by adapting to withstand the invaders and thus
undergoing evolutionary rescue. Here we first analytically approximate the
probability that a niche-constructing population—one building reproductive
habitats—undergoes evolutionary rescue from habitat exploitation by an
invading species. Then we evaluate the approximation under two different
fitness costs of construction: a fecundity cost and a mortality cost. We
find that fecundity costs are not only less harmful than mortality costs
but can even promote rescue compared to no costs by reducing the rate at
which constructors attempt reproduction and thus construction. The
resulting lower habitat density slows invasion, which then buys
constructors more time to mutate. This invasion-slowing benefit can be
stronger if the fecundity cost, instead of deriving from construction,
stems from niche destruction, where organisms destroy their own habitats.
Our results suggest that the same fitness costs rendering constructors
vulnerable to habitat exploitation can help rescue constructors from such
exploitation.