First-Mover Advantage

Biological Parallel

Pioneer species that colonize empty niches first gain massive advantages: they claim prime territory, establish mutualistic relationships, and shape the environment to favor their traits (niche construction). Nitrogen-fixing bacteria and lichens on volcanic rock create soil that later species depend on, but pioneers control access. First-mover advantage is real but fragile—it holds only if pioneers can defend against better-adapted followers. Many pioneering species get displaced once competition arrives and the niche matures.