An Integrative Approach to Successional Dynamics: Tempo and Mode of Vegetation Change

314 Pages·2015·2.914 MB·English

by  Scott J. Meiners, Steward T. A. Pickett, Mary L. Cadenasso

AnIntegrative Approachto SuccessionalDynamics
TempoandModeofVegetationChange
Muchofwhatisconsideredconventionalwisdomaboutsuccessionisn’tasclearcutasit
isgenerallybelieved.Yet,theimportanceofsuccessioninecologyisundisputed,sinceit
offersarealinsightintothedynamicsandstructureofallplantcommunities.
Partmonographandpartconceptualtreatise,AnIntegrativeApproachtoSuccessional
Dynamics presents a unifying conceptual framework for dynamic plant communities
andusesauniquelong-termdatasettoexploretheutilityofthatframework.
The14chapters,eachwritteninanon-technicalstyleandaccompaniedbynumerous
illustrationsandexamples,coverdiverseaspectsofsuccession,including:community,
population and disturbance dynamics, diversity, community assembly, heterogeneity,
functional ecology, and biological invasion. This unique text will be a great source of
referenceforresearchersandgraduatestudentsinecologyandplantbiology,andothers
withaninterestinthesubject.
Scott J. Meiners is a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences of Eastern
IllinoisUniversitywhereheteachesPlantEcology,IntroductoryBotany,andagraduate
course in Biostatistics. His research interests focus on the dynamics of regenerating
communitiesusingforest,grassland,andsuccessionalsystems,aswellasthedynamics
of stream fish communities and sustainable agriculture. Since 2001, he has led the
Buell–SmallSuccessionStudy,thelongestcontinuousstudyofpost-agriculturalvegeta-
tiondynamics.
StewardT.A.Pickett,aDistinguishedSeniorScientistattheCaryInstituteofEcosystem
Studies, in Millbrook, New York, is an expert in the ecology of plants, vegetation
dynamics and natural disturbance. His contributions to succession are in the realm of
boththeoryandempiricalmechanisticstudies.HealsodirectstheBaltimoreEcosystem
Study,Long-TermEcologicalResearchprogram.Hehaseditedandauthoredbookson
ecological heterogeneity, humans as components of ecosystems, conservation, the
linkageofecologyandurbandesign,thephilosophyofecologyandecologicalethics.
MaryL.CadenassoisaprofessorintheDepartmentofPlantSciencesattheUniversityof
California, Davis. She received a National Science Foundation Career award and was
recentlynamedaChancellor’sFellow.Herresearchinterestsspanlandscape,ecosystem,
andplantecologyandfocusondetermininghowthespatialheterogeneityofasystemis
linked to ecosystem functions and associated changes. Her work has been widely
published in more than 50 peer reviewed journal articles, 25 book chapters and two
books.

An Integrative Approach
to Successional Dynamics
Tempo and Mode of Vegetation Change
SCOTT J. MEINERS
EasternIllinoisUniversity,USA
STEWARD T. A. PICKETT
CaryInstituteofEcosystemStudies,NY,USA
MARY L. CADENASSO
UniversityofCalifornia,Davis,USA
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521116428
©S.J.Meiners,S.T.A.PickettandM.L.Cadenasso2015
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2015
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationdata
Meiners,ScottJ.,1970–author.
Anintegrativeapproachtosuccessionaldynamics:tempoandmode
ofvegetationchange/ScottJ.Meiners,EasternIllinoisUniversity,USA,
StewardT.A.Pickett,CaryInstituteofEcosystemStudies,NY,
USA,MaryL.Cadenasso,UniversityofCalifornia,Davis,USA.
pages cm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-521-11642-8(alk.paper)
1. Vegetationdynamics. 2. Plantsuccession. 3. Plantcommunities.
I. Pickett,StewardT.,1950–author. II. Cadenasso,MaryL.,author. III. Title.
QK910.M45 2015
581.7018–dc23
2014035278
ISBN978-0-521-11642-8Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication,
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Contents
Nouwènankotenoukanpe pagevii
1 Goals,conceptsanddefinitions 1
Part1 Theconceptualbackgroundanddevelopmentofsuccession 13
2 HistoryandcontextoftheBuell–SmallSuccessionStudy 15
3 Successiontheory 30
4 Conceptualframeworksandintegration:driversandtheory 48
Part2 SuccessionalpatternsintheBSSdata 65
5 Communitypatternsanddynamics 67
6 Dynamicsofpopulationsthroughsuccession 87
7 Impactsofdroughtandotherdisturbancesonsuccession 111
8 Dynamicsofdiversity 131
Part3 Integrativethemes 149
9 Convergenceandcommunityassembly 151
10 Successionalequivalenceofnativeandnon-nativespecies 169
11 Heterogeneityindynamicsystems 189
12 Functionalecologyofcommunitydynamics 211
Part4 Synthesis 235
13 Succession,habitatmanagementandrestoration 237
14 Wherewestand:lessonsandopportunities 248
Appendix1 256
Appendix2 261
References 268
Index 300

Nou wè nan kote nou kanpe
Oneofthethingsthatwehaveendeavoredtodointhisbookispullinquotesthatcapture
therichhistoryofecologicalthoughtonsuccessionandrelatedtopics.Tostartthisbook
off, we could have easily referred to Newton’s “Standing on the shoulders of giants”
quoteinhomagetothewealthofinformationthatwehavebenefitedfrom.Asthisquote
isusedentirelytoooften,wehaveinsteadoptedforsomethingalittledifferent.“Nouwè
nankotenoukanpe”isaHaitiansayingthattranslatesto“Weseefromwherewestand.”
If we have been able to offer any real insights in this book, it is because of the
foundational work of many, many others. In particular, we owe very much to Drs.
Helen Buell (1901–1995), Murray Buell (1905–1975) and John Small (1900–1977).
Theystartedthestudythatisthebasisformuchofthispublication.Withouttheirvision
andcommitment,noneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible.Theirenthusiasmforecology
and the closeness of the three of them is captured in a comment from John Small’s
remembranceofMurray’slife–“Hundredswillattestthattheywerequiteateam!Tothe
extentthatthefieldofecology,physicallyandtheoretically,isthebetterforthem,thatis
thewaytheywantedit.”(Small,1975).
Wealsoneedtothankdecades’worthofresearchers,mostofwhomvolunteeredtheir
timeandhelpedinthecollectionofthismassivedataset.Wehaveattemptedtoassemble
alistofthesepeoplefromtheoriginaldatasheetsandhaveincludedthisasanappendix
tothistext.Weapologizeforanywhomwehavemissed.