Abstract
The concept of heterogeneity is one of the most important and most widely applicable ideas in ecology. It is relevant at all scales and levels of organization and yet is expressed differently in each context (Hutchinson, 1953). One of the principal problems in understanding heterogeneity is to discover its patterns and, subsequently, its functional significance in its various manifestations. In this chapter we take heterogeneity to be the spatial pattern of elements of a biotic assemblage. Old fields, because of their commonness, variety, and manipulability, are ideal systems in which to investigate the pattern of heterogeneity and its ecological significance. Such studies can also contribute to understanding mechanisms of succession (Finegan, 1984; Pickett et al., 1987).
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Armesto, J.J., Pickett, S.T.A., McDonnell, M.J. (1991). Spatial Heterogeneity During Succession: A Cyclic Model of Invasion and Exclusion. In: Kolasa, J., Pickett, S.T.A. (eds) Ecological Heterogeneity. Ecological Studies, vol 86. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3062-5_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3062-5_13
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