Thus, H. erectus is often reconstructed as occupying an intensified ecological niche (Leonard & Robertson 1997).
The large body and large brain of H. erectus needed more energy, and thus food, than previous hominins. Larger biological structures, particularly energy-intensive ones like muscles and brains, require greater energy inputs to maintain. Thus, H. erectus is often reconstructed as occupying an intensified ecological niche (Leonard & Robertson 1997).