Plant Succession: An Analysis of the Development of Vegetation (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Frederic E. Clements

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 026596184X ISBN 13: 9780265961841

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2017

Synopsis

Plant Succession explains how vegetation develops from pioneering plants to mature communities, across different North American landscapes, and how disturbances steer that path.

This edition gathers observed patterns of plant change, from salt flats and alluvial fans to coastal dunes and pine forests, and links them to soil, climate, and water dynamics. It offers a clear view of how ecosystems assemble over time and how different forces can reset or redirect those journeys.

Readers will gain a grounded sense of real-world succession, with concrete examples and sequences that show why certain plants establish first and how later species follow. The material blends field observations with the reasoning used by early plant ecologists to map climaxes and transitional stages.

• See how soil salinity, drainage, and pervious soils influence the first arrivals and subsequent waves of vegetation.
• Explore case studies like valley and coastal dune environments, including how water levels and wind shape plant communities.
• Understand how disturbances such as fire, drought, and grazing interrupt and redirect successional paths.
• Learn about the typical order of species invasion in different habitats and how these sequences stabilize into climax types.

Ideal for readers of ecology, botany, or conservation who want a concrete, field-grounded view of how vegetation develops over time.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 026596184X
• ISBN 13: 9780265961841
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 650