Term
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Definition
| Sequence of communities from grass to shrub to forest |
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Term
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Definition
| A point in a continuum of vegetation through time, it is often recognizable as a distinct community |
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Term
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Definition
| Is the temporal change in a community structure, refers to changes in the community structure at a given location on the landscape through time |
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Term
| Early Successional Species (pioneer species) |
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Definition
| Usually characterized by high growth rates, smaller size, high degree of dispersal and high rates of per capita growth |
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Term
| Late Successional Species |
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Definition
| Generally have lower rates of dispersal and colonization slower per capita growth rates and are longer lived |
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Term
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Definition
| Occurs on a site previously unoccupied by a community- a newly exposed surface such as the cement blocks in a rocky intertidal environment |
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Term
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Definition
| Occurs on previously occupied (vegetated) sites after a disturbance |
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Term
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Definition
| Environmental change is a direct result of the presence and activities of organisms with the community |
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Term
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Definition
| Environmental change is a feature of the physical environment it is governed by physical rather than biological processes |
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Term
| Intermediate disturbance hypothesis |
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Definition
| At an intermediate frequency of disturbance, colonization can occur but competitive displacement is held to a minimum. |
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