For example, plant communities are constantly changing in a process often called succession . As young grasslands and forests comprising a certain mix of species mature, new assemblages of species take over, until storms, fires, diseases, or insects disturb them and the process begins anew. Healthy ecosystems are also characterized by biodiversity, a mixture of many different individuals of many different species. In any given plant community, there are dominant, subdominant, and subordinate species. Dominance refers to the one or more species that are most essential to the life and character of the plant community.
Gardens are plant communities, too.
Successful gardening requires an understanding of the ecological processes at work on cultivated land. Our models for understanding these processes are local plant communities. Of course, structure and change in the garden are orchestrated by the gardener, not the forces of nature alone. The closer a gardener works with nature, however, the less work and the more successful the garden will be.