The use of chronosequences in studies of ecological succession and soil development

Summary 1. Chronosequences and associated space‐for‐time substitutions are an important and often necessary tool for studying temporal dynamics of plant communities and soil development across multiple time‐scales. However, they are often used inappropriately, leading to false conclusions about ecological patterns and processes, which has prompted recent strong criticism of the approach. Here, we evaluate when chronosequences may or may not be appropriate for studying community and ecosystem development. 2. Chronosequences are appropriate to study plant succession at decadal to millennial time‐scales when there is evidence that sites of different ages are following the same trajectory. They can also be…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: DEB-0620910, 0620910