Table 1.

Examples of microbial niche construction.

trait	niche construction effect	references
respiration	reduced partial pressure of O2-favouring anaerobes
biofilm production	modifies spatial structure and chemical environment	[1,2]
extracellular enzymes and scavenging molecules (e.g. invertase, proteases, siderophores)	modifies the nutrient environment	[3,4]
resistance to phages	‘herd immunity’ can reduce the effects of phages on others	[5]
antibiotic production	modifies composition of the microbiota	[6,7]
antibiotic detoxification (e.g. β-lactamase)	removes toxic chemicals from environment, alters microbiota	[8]
excretion of metabolic by-products	inhibits or promotes growth of other microbes	[9–11]
immune system suppression	suppression of the immune system may allow growth of other microbes	[12]
immune system activation	provocation of the immune system may clear commensals	[13–15]