Monospecific dominance in tropical rain forests

Abstract

Old-growth rain forests that are dominated by a single canopy species occur throughout the tropics, though they account for a limited proportion of the total rain forest area. These forests have been considered anomalies in which development of a more diverse community is deflected by harsh conditions. Very poor soils or an otherwise extreme environment may promote monodominance by excluding potentially competing species, but it is now apparent that monodominant tropical forests also develop under more benign conditions. Field studies have shown that a single species may dominate on undisturbed sites where the soils are similar to those of adjacent old-growth, mixed forests. In these situations the dominant is a superior competitor and/or is particularly tolerant to stresses such as shade. Assertion of dominance by a single species in an old-growth forest appears most likely in areas where the species pool contains few late-succession species with similar life history traits.