Dominance (ecology)

For other uses, see Dominance.

Rhizophoraceae dominate tropical tidal swamps

Ecological dominance is the degree to which a species is more numerous than its competitors in an ecological community, or makes up more of the biomass. Most ecological communities are defined by their dominant species.

Examples

• In heathland the dominant species are characteristically one or more species of heather or related plants.
• In many examples of wet woodland in western Europe, the dominant tree is alder (Alnus glutinosa).
• In temperate bogs, the dominant vegetation is usually species of Sphagnum moss.
• On Earth, arguably, a large amount of its land ecosystems are dominated by human beings, making human beings the ecologically dominant species over much of the planet.
• Tidal swamps in the tropics are usually dominated by species of mangrove (Rhizophoraceae)
• Some sea floor communities are dominated by brittle stars.
• Exposed rocky shorelines are dominated by sessile organisms such as barnacles and limpets.

See also

• National Vegetation Classification, a system for classifying British plant communities by their dominant species