The Strategy of Ecosystem Development
1969; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 164; Issue: 3877 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1126/science.164.3877.262
ISSN1095-9203
Autores Tópico(s)Ecosystem dynamics and resilience
ResumoThe principles of ecological succession bear importantly on the relationships between man and nature. The framework of successional theory needs to be examined as a basis for resolving man’s present environmental crisis. Most ideas pertaining to the development of ecological systems are based on descriptive data obtained by observing changes in biotic communities over long periods, or on highly theoretical assumptions; very few of the generally accepted hypotheses have been tested experimentally. Some of the confusion, vagueness, and lack of experimental work in this area stems from the tendency of ecologists to regard “succession” as a single straightforward idea; in actual fact, it entails an interacting complex of processes, some of which counteract one another.
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