ABSTRACT
The skilled range manager encourages or works against the changes in rangeland ecosystems. This chapter presents a discussion of concepts as types of vegetational change, succession, climax, diversity, trend, stress, disturbance, and others that are commonly within the term synecology of rangeland vegetation. Vegetational development begins with the migration or replacement and planting of plant propagules. Endogenous influences have multiplied, especially the symbiotic relationships between vegetation and soil systems, and competition for resources is severe. The climatic climax hypothesis stated that given enough time for base leveling and regional soil development under a regional climate, there would be a comparable regional or climatic climax vegetation. Early-humans altered successions and climaxes by burning the vegetation and harvesting animals and plants. Disturbances may be catastrophic and overwhelming as by removal of vegetation, soil, and overburden in surface mining or covering by molten lava. Evaluation of rangeland vegetation depends upon an understanding of vegetational changes and the time taken for change to occur.
