successionelle

Successionelle is a term used in ecology to describe phenomena related to ecological succession—the gradual change in species composition and ecosystem structure of a community over time. In French-language texts, the form successionnelle (feminine) or successionnel (masculine) is used, while English-language usage tends to employ 'successional' as the corresponding adjective. The concept covers patterns and processes by which communities develop in newly formed habitats or recover after disturbance, progressing through a series of seral stages, such as pioneer, intermediate, and late-successional communities.

Major distinctions include primary succession, which starts from near-barren substrate with minimal life, and secondary succession, which follows a disturbance that leaves soil intact. Core mechanisms behind succession include facilitation (early species modify the environment to aid later species), inhibition (early occupants hinder later arrivals), and tolerance (later species withstand conditions without being helped or hindered). The idea of a single, predictable endpoint—the climax community—has been revised, with emphasis on multiple potential trajectories and context-dependent outcomes.

Factors shaping succession are climate, soil development, disturbance regime, seed dispersal, and species interactions. Ecologists study successional dynamics through field surveys, chronosequences, and modeling, applying findings to restoration, land management, and conservation. The term itself serves to describe the temporal dimension of community change and is applied across habitats such as forests, grasslands, and coastal ecosystems. Some scholars emphasize that succession is not a fixed process but a continuum of states influenced by ongoing disturbance and environmental change.