Term
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Definition
| Those that facilitate the growth and development of other plant species (target species) beneath their canopy because they offer benign microhabitats that are more favorable for seed germination and/or seedling recruitment than their surrounding environment. |
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Term
| Early Successional Species (Pioneer Species) |
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Definition
| Plant species characterized by high dispersal rates, ability to colonize disturbed sites, short life span, and shade intolerance; ie, r-selected life histories. |
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Term
| Late Successional Species |
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Definition
| Long-lived, shade-tolerant plant species that supplant early successional species; K-selected life histories. |
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Term
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Definition
| Vegetational development starting on a new site never before colonized by life. |
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Term
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Definition
| Development of vegetation after a disturbance. |
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Term
| Autogenic Environmental Change |
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Definition
| Directly results from the organisms of the community. |
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Term
| Allogenic Environmental Change |
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Definition
| A feature of the physical environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| Groups of sites within the same area that are in different stages of succession. |
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Term
| Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis |
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Definition
| The concept that species diversity is greatest in those habitats experiencing a moderate amount of disturbance, allowing the coexistence of early and late successional species. |
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