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the act or an instance of one person or thing following another

a number of people or things following one another in order

the act, process, or right by which one person succeeds to the office, etc, of another

the order that determines how one person or thing follows another

a line of descent to a title, etc

ecology the sum of the changes in the composition of a community that occur during its development towards a stable climax community

in a manner such that one thing is followed uninterruptedly by another

The gradual replacement of one type of ecological community by another in the same area, involving a series of orderly changes, especially in the dominant vegetation. Succession is usually initiated by a significant disturbance of an existing community. Each succeeding community modifies the physical environment, as by introducing shade or changing the fertility or acidity of the soil, creating new conditions that benefit certain species and inhibit others until a climax community is established.

◆ The sequential development of plant and animal communities in an area in which no topsoil exists, as on a new lava flow, is called primary succession.

◆ The development of such communities in an area that has been disturbed but still retains its topsoil, as in a burned-over area, is called secondary succession.

See more at climax community