Chapter 10: Ecological Restoration

194673255	balance of nature	an environmental myth that states that the natural environment, when not influenced by human activity, will reach a constant status, unchanging over time, referred to as an equilibrium state
194673256	chronic patchiness	one species may replace another, or an individual of the first species may replace it, but no overall general temporal pattern is established; succession never occurs, and the species that enters first remains until the next disturbance.
194673257	climax state	the final stage of ecological succession and therefore an ecological community that continues to reproduce itself over time
194673258	early-successional species	species that occur only or primarily during early stages of succession
194673259	ecological succession	the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established
194673260	facilitation	during succession, one species prepares the way for the next (and may even be necessary for the occurrence of the next)
194673261	interference	early successional species that prevent the entrance of late-successional species
194673262	late-successional species	species that occur only or primarily in, or are dominant in, late stages in succession
194673263	life history difference	differences in life histories of the species allow some to arrive first and grow quickly, while others arrive later and grow more slowly; example: seed dispersal
194673264	primary succession	the initial establishment and development of an ecosystem; succession that begins in an area with no remnants of an older community
194673265	restoration ecology	applying ecological principles in an effort to return ecosystems that have been disturbed by human activity to a condition as similar as possible to their natural state
194673266	secondary succession	succession on a site where an existing community has been disrupted
194673267	successional stages	the various stages in the establishment and development of an ecosystem; includes the following stages: early, middle, late, and mature (climax)