Stages of ecological succession

During a succession, different groups of plants grow at a site over time. The diagram shows a succession from bare ground to a mature forest.

Plants that colonise bare ground are typically hardy and low-growing. In time, shrubs and small trees grow among the first plants, and a shrubland develops. Seedlings of tall forest trees germinate and grow in the shelter of the shrubs, and soon overtop them, forming a young forest. This gets taller and more complex over time. In the mature forest, individual trees die and young saplings grow up to replace them, but the forest’s composition and structure basically remain the same for centuries.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Artwork by Gareth Railton

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How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff. 'Forest succession and regeneration - Forest succession', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 8-Jul-13

• Concept of ecological succession
• Order of ecological succession
• Causes of ecological succession
• Types of ecological succession