An Inverse Relationship between Dominance and Habitat Breadth of Trees in Illinois Forests

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Abstract
The generalization that habitat or niche breadth is positively correlated with dominance or importance of species applies to many taxa. A negative correlation was found between habitat breadth and relative importance measured along a moisture gradient for 15 treespecies in central Illinois forests. Dominant tree species in these forests are specialists and occupy a narrow range of the gradient, whereas subordinate species are generalists and occur across a much wider portion of the gradient.