ABSTRACT
One of the few types of individual-based models that address multi-species interactions and community- and ecosystem-level phenomena is the class of forest succession models known as JABOWA or FORET models. This paper briefly reviews the history and major features of these models, which are probably the most widely used individual-based computer simulation models. The assumptions and mechanisms underlying these models, which originated over 20 years ago, are virtually identical to those that have been developed in the context of theoretical plant competition and plant population models. Interest among theoretical ecologists in mechanistic models of plant growth and competition has led to the convergence of recently developed models with the assumptions, mechanisms, and structure of a model that has been in use by ecosystem scientists for over 20 years.
