'... this book is useful in combining a summary of knowledge and ideas about succession to date and a forward looking discussion of the development of predictive ability in vegetation ecology.' Forestry ' ... the editors and publishers are to be congratulated on producing a multiauthor book that maintains stylistic coherence throughout, and develops a consistent theme logically through successive chapters. The result is an authoritative and readable account that all practising and would-be ecologists should consult.' Journal of Ecology 'The authors certainly cover a lot of ground, providing definitions of some of the crucial, but difficult, concepts that have semantically bedeviled much research on succession... a number of solid and useful reviews... This book will be of value to upper level undergraduates, to graduate students, and to professional succession researchers who want a broader view of the field.' Plant Science Bulletin 'An impressive array of authors have compiled an important contemporary synthesis of plant succession theory and what must be a focal reference text for researchers and lecturers...this is an excellent book...be an indipensable addition to the book shelf of ecologists interested in spatial and temporal community phenomena.' Annals of Botany

• Prologue. The nature of vegetation dynamics; D.C. Glenn-Lewin, E. van der Maarel. Establishment, colonization and persistence; A.G. van der Valk. Community structure and ecosystem properties; R.K. Peet. Regeneration dynamics; T.T. Veblen. From population dynamics to community dynamics: modeling succession as a species replacement process; R. van Hulst. Statistical models of succession; M.B. Usher. Individual-based models of forest succession; D.L. Urban, H.H. Shugart. Climate change and long-term vegetation dynamics; I.C. Prentice. Epilogue.

'... this book is useful in combining a summary of knowledge and ideas about succession to date and a forward looking discussion of the development of predictive ability in vegetation ecology.' Forestry ' ... the editors and publishers are to be congratulated on producing a multiauthor book that maintains stylistic coherence throughout, and develops a consistent theme logically through successive chapters. The result is an authoritative and readable account that all practising and would-be ecologists should consult.' Journal of Ecology 'The authors certainly cover a lot of ground, providing definitions of some of the crucial, but difficult, concepts that have semantically bedeviled much research on succession... a number of solid and useful reviews... This book will be of value to upper level undergraduates, to graduate students, and to professional succession researchers who want a broader view of the field.' Plant Science Bulletin 'An impressive array of authors have compiled an important contemporary synthesis of plant succession theory and what must be a focal reference text for researchers and lecturers...this is an excellent book...be an indipensable addition to the book shelf of ecologists interested in spatial and temporal community phenomena.' Annals of Botany

• Prologue. The nature of vegetation dynamics; D.C. Glenn-Lewin, E. van der Maarel. Establishment, colonization and persistence; A.G. van der Valk. Community structure and ecosystem properties; R.K. Peet. Regeneration dynamics; T.T. Veblen. From population dynamics to community dynamics: modeling succession as a species replacement process; R. van Hulst. Statistical models of succession; M.B. Usher. Individual-based models of forest succession; D.L. Urban, H.H. Shugart. Climate change and long-term vegetation dynamics; I.C. Prentice. Epilogue.