Ever since Clements: The development of successional theory and its implications for the next generation of conceptual frameworks

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Succession, or more broadly community dynamics, is one of the fundamental concepts in ecology.  The early theory of succession was flawed by dependence on a now discredited organismal approach, the assumption of a deterministic pathway of community types through time, and emphasis on a stable end state.  In spite of these shortcomings, there were many nuggets of useful insight embedded in that founding theory.  Long-term studies of succession, as they have matured and accumulated, have made key contributions to improving the understanding of how communities are assembled through time.  They have revealed new complexities, have expanded the suite of mechanisms that must be considered, and have discovered a rich array of pathways of community change.  These insights have been collected into new frameworks that permit improved generalization across diverse successional types, and place succession into a more explicitly spatial context.  The frameworks also indicate the structural similarity of succession theory to other powerful theoretical areas such as evolution.  The realism provided by the expanded frameworks also permits improved connection with the complex and contingent realm of vegetation and community management and restoration.