Monodominance

[3][1] Conventional explanations of biodiversity in tropical forests in the decades prior to Connel and Lowman's work either ignored monodominance entirely or predicted that it would not exist.

[5] The species Gilbertiodendron dewevrei, Cynometra alexandri, and Julbernardia seretii are pronounced as exclusive dominants in their individual forests in equatorial Africa.

Several causal mechanisms have been proposed for the formation of monodominant forest in tropical ecosystems,[9][1] including features of the environment such as low disturbance rates, and intrinsic characteristics of the dominant species: escape from herbivores, high seedling shade-tolerance, and the formation of mycorrhizal networks between individuals of the same species.

This difference may prohibit many plant species from living in that environment due to the low light conditions and their resulting inability to sufficiently and effectively photosynthesize.

[1] Low ammonium and nitrate could be the result of this slow decomposition which in turn, means less nutrients in the soil for other plant species to use.

Manganese can poison other trees if the levels are too high and possibly cause leaf chlorosis and necrosis and prevent the nutrient uptake of calcium and magnesium.

In the Gilbertiodendron forests this mast fruiting does not assist in lesser predation, but in Asia and the Neotropics this does induce fitness benefits [14] and sometimes is actually important to monodominant maintenance.

This can create a regular and radial path around the parent tree that results in a "tree-by-tree replacement" in a mixed forest.

[6] Ectomycorrhizal relations with trees can increase nutrient supplies through a more effectual use of larger capacities of soils or through the direct decomposition of leaf litter.

A study of Dicymbe corymbosa individuals show that (in terms of total basal area) the adult trees dominate resources and space.

There is evidence that masting tree species rely on ECM associations to accumulate these requisite nutrients for reproduction during inter-mast years.

Monodominant seedlings planted in mixed forests have significantly lower levels of ECM colonization of roots.

The lower percent of ECM colonization can cause the low survival rates of these seedlings in mixed forest.

By connecting their small root systems to ECM networks that emanate from larger adults, more benefits can be received.

ECM fungi may be suppressing saprotrophs in the monodominant forest to slow decomposition and return organically bound nutrients back to the tree.