that forest system would eventually return to the climax community, defined by oak- and hickory-dominated species. Clements’s ideas of the extreme predictability of succession led him to propose ...

Ecological succession is the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time. Gradually, these communities replace one another until a “climax community”—like a mature ...

leading to a climax community such as a deciduous forest. The film also touches on how human activities can alter natural plant succession, leading to changes in the types of vegetation that ...

For an example of succession, think of a severe forest fire that kills many trees. What was once a closed canopy forest with very little light reaching the ground is now a very open and bright place.