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Ecological Succession and Community Dynamics

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Ecological Systems

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Abstract

“Ecological Succession” is an ordered progression of structural and compositional changes in communities toward an eventual unchanging condition, the climax community 1 –3. The term “Community” is used in two ways 4. The “Abstract Community” refers to an abstract group of organisms that recurs on the landscape, a definition, which usually carries with it an implication of a level of integration among its parts that in extreme could be called organismal or quasi-organismal; the “Concrete Community” concept refers to the collection of organisms found at a specific place and time. These terms and their meanings are topics of significant debate among ecologists, both historically and today 5, 6. These differences in the meaning and cause of ecological succession strongly affect the formulation of policies for ecosystems management and restoration.

This chapter was originally published as part of the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology edited by Robert A. Meyers. DOI:10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3

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Abbreviations

Abstract community:

A group of organisms that recurs on the landscape with an implication of a level of integration among its parts that in extreme could be called organismal or quasi-organismal (see: Concrete Community).

Chronosequence:

A space-for-time substitution in which the successional vegetation is ordered in a regular fashion. An example would be the series of vegetation at the foot of a receding glacier or a series of sand dunes ordered in regularly aged series.

Clementsian succession:

An explanation of succession emphasizing the attributes of the community as if it functioned like a single living organism (see: Abstract Community).

Climax community:

An ecological community associated with a particular climate and in a state of dynamic equilibrium with the climate. The American ecologist, F.E. Clements, designated the climax community as the endpoint of ecological succession for a given climate condition and noted the common Greek root κλίμα (clima) or inclination, in both climax and climate as indicating their close relationship.

Concrete community:

The collection of organisms found at a specific place and time (see: Abstract Community).

Gleasonian succession theory:

An explanation of succession emphasizing the importance of the attributes of individual organisms as the fundamental basis.

Indicator species:

Plants or animals whose presence implies the past or present conditions at a given location.

Monoclimax:

The concept that one mature vegetation will eventually be produced by successional processes in a given region.

Polyclimax:

The concept that multiple mature, stable-vegetation types can develop from the successional processes operating in a given region.

SIGMATIST:

A school of vegetation science emphasizing the classification of vegetation.

Time-for-space substitution:

The collection of vegetation data from different locations at which succession has been initiated at different times in the past to piece together the pattern of succession.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, The University of Virginia, 376 Clark Hall, Charlottesville, VA, 22904-4123, USA

    Herman H. (Hank) Shugart

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  1. Herman H. (Hank) Shugart
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Correspondence to Herman H. (Hank) Shugart .

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  1. , Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700 AA, Netherlands

    Rik Leemans

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Shugart, H.H.(. (2013). Ecological Succession and Community Dynamics. In: Leemans, R. (eds) Ecological Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5755-8_3

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