What are the implications of a single species filling an ecological niche?

Your School Subject is Biology.

Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "'single species' 'ecological niche'" to get these possible sources:

http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781539215/niche_ecological.html
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0001907
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7F-48TM2FC-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=d47426d907140c8c7ccd5decdb529eba
http://books.google.com/books?id=1WXuP_4IloQC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=%22single+species%22+%22ecological+niche%22&source=bl&ots=puqrl7ZLz_&sig=UscMnzPenEJ9IdLiPsmfjblfsNk&hl=en&ei=6YoFSvv4K4vGM6_DwL8H&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9
http://www.experiencefestival.com/ecological_niche

In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

3x^2-18x-48

When a single species fills an ecological niche, it means that this species has successfully adapted to a specific set of resources and environmental conditions. This can have several implications:

1. Competition: Other species that previously occupied the same niche will experience increased competition for resources. This can lead to changes in behavior, migration, or in some cases, the decline or even extinction of those species.

2. Ecosystem stability: Having a single species dominate an ecological niche can result in reduced biodiversity and ecological stability. Diversity is important for maintaining ecosystem resilience and functioning, as different species perform different ecological roles.

3. Impact on other trophic levels: When a species fills a niche, it affects not only the species it competes with directly, but also species in other trophic levels. If the dominant species is a predator, it may impact the abundance of its prey, leading to cascading effects throughout the food web.

4. Evolutionary pressure: When a species successfully fills a niche, it is likely to face reduced selection pressure to evolve and adapt further. This can limit the species' ability to respond to future changes in the environment, potentially making it more vulnerable to disturbances or shifts in conditions.

To determine the implications of a single species filling an ecological niche, one could conduct studies and analyze ecological data. This could involve monitoring species populations, studying changes in species composition, and assessing ecosystem dynamics over time. Field observations, experiments, and mathematical models may be used to understand the interactions and impacts of different species in a given ecosystem.