singlespecies

Singlespecies is a term used in ecology, paleontology, forestry, and related disciplines to describe situations in which a single species constitutes the observed population or assemblage. In ecological terms, a monospecific or singlespecies community includes only one species at detectable abundance, with other species either absent or below the sampling threshold. In forestry, singlespecies can refer to monocultures where a single tree species dominates a stand.

Contexts and examples: Monospecific plant communities occur when environmental conditions strongly favor one species, or after disturbance that resets the community to a single resilient colonist. Agricultural or forestry monocultures yield singlespecies stands. In aquatic systems, algal blooms or zooplankton populations dominated by one species can create singlespecies conditions. In paleoecology or taphonomy, singlespecies assemblages are fossil or subfossil collections that contain fossils of only one taxon, often reflecting preservational biases rather than actual past diversity.

Implications and interpretation: Singlespecies patterns have implications for biodiversity, ecosystem function, and resilience. They indicate low species richness and reduced functional redundancy, which can increase vulnerability to pests, disease, or climatic change. However, in some environments a single species may sufficiently fulfill key ecological roles, making the term descriptive rather than inherently problematic. Researchers interpret singlespecies signals with consideration of spatial scale, temporal scale, sampling method, and potential biases.

See also: monospecific, monoculture, species richness, ecological succession.