SEFS Assistant Professor Alex McInturff runs the People and Wildlife Lab here at the University of Washington. McInturff’s recent research published in People and Nature helps us better understand a human-altered planet by bringing social science to life in niche ecology – his team is calling this concept “The Socio-Ecological Niche” or SEN for short. This concept appeals to a broad audience from wildlife management experts, ecologists, sociologists, policy makers and those interested in environmental justice. To offer us a better understanding of the SEN concept, McInturff has put together a plain language summary of his team’s work. He also sat down with us to answer a few questions about the concept and future uses in the Q&A below. 

The Socio-Ecological Niche: a plain language summary 

The field of ecology has found more and more evidence that humans have altered our planet. Yet, surprisingly, many of the most important theories in ecology do not grapple with the effects of human society, culture, and history on other species. The concept of an “ecological niche” provides a telling example. The niche concept has itself evolved over recent decades, but it generally describes the set of conditions required for a given species to survive. However, it does not fully consider the range of social and cultural factors that shape modern environments. Here, we propose a new concept, the socio-ecological niche (SEN), which updates the niche concept to include a range of social factors.

The SEN builds on recent developments in other literatures, like environmental justice and social-ecological systems, which are increasingly recognizing the importance of linking social and ecological schools of thought. In spelling out the SEN, we offer six “dimensions” of the concept as starting points for understanding how the humanities and the social sciences can contribute to niche ecology. These dimensions are history, laws and institutions, economics, politics, discourses and representation, and knowledge. However, these are just a starting point, and future research can continue to add to and integrate across these dimensions.

Underlying all of our analysis are critical issues of power and justice, which have always structured human society and history. In some cases, power and justice can be drivers of the niche space, while in other cases, socio-ecological niches can lead to injustices in complex ways. In all cases, it is essential to understand power and justice as underlying context of the SEN.

The SEN has important implications for theory and practice. By incorporating the social dimensions of niche ecology, scientists can develop new hypotheses and explore important new questions. The concept can also help push the boundaries of conservation away from a focus on species and toward the roles these species play in the human-dominated world. And the SEN helps underline the importance of social science to both research and management.

Taken together, we hope that this concept offers fertile ground for future interdisciplinary research to explore the connections between society and ecology in the modern world. Doing so has potential to improve our understanding of the world and forge stronger links between ecology and justice.

Q&A with SEFS Assistant Professor, Alex McInturff

Can you give us an example of one familiar species’ ecological niche? Is it simple enough to ask you to describe the set of conditions required for survival of a familiar species and how this relates to common social factors?

Alex McInturff: The niche concept is one of the foundational ideas in ecology and evolution. It describes the set of conditions in which a species can survive. 

One familiar example can be found in your own home. If you grow houseplants, then you may have found that some of them like lots of sun, but others don’t. Some must be watered regularly, while others can get an infrequent spray down. The needs of your house plants reflect the different ecological niches they evolved to fill. Plants that are found below the canopy of a tropical rainforest might thrive with little sun but lots of water, while cacti found in deserts might do better with lots of light but little water. 

In 2025, the world we live on has been transformed by people. It’s important to consider core ideas in ecology, like the niche concept, in this light. If we want to understand how people shape the niches of other species, we need to look beyond ecology to the humanities, and at concepts like history, culture, power, economics, knowledge, and many more. These shape human life and society, and in turn, shape the world we live in.

We introduced the socio-ecological niche concept (SEN) to start a conversation between the social science, humanities, and ecology to better understand how people shape the environment. The SEN framework brings social science into the heart of species persistence. It acknowledges that roads, regulations, and relationships are as important as rainfall and soil. Ignoring those factors means missing half the map.

If the more “traditional” niche concept doesn’t include social factors like economics and knowledge, what has it included? Why does your team feel it’s important that we begin to make a distinction?

AM: Traditionally, the niche concept has considered biophysical variables. This is not to say that ecologists haven’t thought about people – they have, extensively. However, usually, the effects of people are thought of as their physical effects on the environment – where have we built roads, farms, trails, and fences? But to understand how human social life shapes the natural world, we have to look beyond just these physical effects and consider how human social life – culture, history, power, and knowledge, for example – may also have profound effects. 

Here is an example. The American black bear doesn’t just need forests and berries to survive, it also needs social tolerance. Ecologically, its niche includes dense vegetation, seasonal food like acorns and salmon, and denning sites for hibernation. But in the 21st century, that’s only half the story. Species like black bears now occupy landscapes shaped as much by zoning laws and garbage management as by rivers and trees. Bears can technically survive in many parts of suburban America, but whether they do depends on human attitudes, local histories, policies, and tolerance levels.

Why did your team settle on these six dimensions: history, laws and institutions, economics, politics, discourses and representation, and knowledge?

AM: We highlighted six dimensions that stood out from the research we did, but we also encourage other scholars to explore and extend this concept! We believe these six dimensions offer accessible starting points that can lead to exciting new conversations between the sciences and humanities. 

At first it might seem that these six dimensions are heavily human-centered but you could imagine how they might spill out across the animal kingdom. Do these dimensions impact the animal kingdom in ways that might surprise the general public? If yes, how so?

AM: In our research, we highlight the example of canid species in North America – wolves, coyotes, and dogs in particular. Recent research has shown just how genetically similar these species are, so much so that they often reproduce and have fertile offspring. Their ecological niches are in some respects largely overlapping too, though there are also differences. But what really makes these species different are their relationships with people: dogs are “man’s best friend,” wolves are often loved or hated, and coyotes can be rural “pests” or sources of fascination in cities, depending. What makes a dog a dog, a coyote a coyote, and a wolf a wolf is less about their genes, and more about their roles in human society.

Our research is rich with other examples in which human history, culture, knowledge, laws, and other factors play essential, but overlooked, roles in defining species niches, or the conditions in which they can survive, especially on a human-dominated planet. 

Why is it essential to understand power and justice as the underlying context of the SEN?

AM: Power and justice are essential elements of human society. They pertain to all of the categories we highlight in the paper. Sociologists have told us for over a century that understanding power is key to understanding human society – it turns out, it is key to understanding human relationships with other species as well. 

Who decides what counts as acceptable risk? Whose knowledge is recognized in conservation policy? Who bears the cost when a carnivore returns? The SEN framework pushes us to see these questions not as side notes, but as central to species persistence.

In your plain language summary of this concept you mention, “future research can continue to add to and integrate across these dimensions.” How do you envision this concept opening the door for new research? How do you see people using this as a tool for better understanding a human-altered planet?

AM: One of the goals of ecology has always been to understand the “distribution and abundance” of life on earth. Our research suggests that this question can’t be divorced from the effects of human society. But the mechanisms for how this happens need further research. Can human social life lead to hybridization? Speciation? Can it help us redefine the species concept? Are there solid methods for linking society and the environment? These are exciting questions that emerge from the socio-ecological niche concept.

How important is the SEN for future interdisciplinary research to explore the connections between society and ecology in the modern world? Can you provide us with an example? Is anyone already taking this concept and running with it?

AM: Our goal is that this concept can lead to more frequent, and deeper dialogues between ecology and social science. We believe that radically interdisciplinary connections across these fields can help unlock insights into the modern world. 

If the niche is about where species can survive and persist, we believe the SEN concept is essential for ensuring that the environments we live in can survive and thrive.