ABSTRACT
Succession is the replacement of one community of organisms by another. A series of successional communities (a sere) can begin on bare rock when a volcano rises from the ocean (primary succession) or on soil that has been denuded of vegetation (secondary succession). Secondary succession can begin after a natural disturbance, such as a landslide, or a human disturbance, such as clear-cut logging. Abandoned agricultural land is often the starting point for a successional sere.
