title: Plant succession as an integrator of contrasting ecological time scales.
abstract: Ecologists have studied plant succession for over a hundred years, yet our understanding of the nature of this process is incomplete, particularly in relation to its response to new human perturbations and the need to manipulate it during ecological restoration. We demonstrate how plant succession can be understood better when it is placed in the broadest possible temporal context. We further show how plant succession can be central to the development of a framework that integrates a spectrum of ecological processes, which occur over time scales ranging from seconds to millions of years. This novel framework helps us understand the impacts of human perturbations on successional trajectories, ecosystem recovery, and global environmental change.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences, Box 454004, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA. Electronic address: walker@unlv.nevada.edu.
authors.forename: Lawrence R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Faculty of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE901-83, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wardle
mesh_terms: D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: global change; hierarchical approach; plant–soil feedbacks; retrogression; temporal scales