Citation
Mechanisms of Succession in Natural Communities and Their Role in Community Stability and Organization
TL;DR
Facilitation: early species make environment suitable for later species
Landmark paper that distinguished facilitation (early species enable later species) from inhibition (early species prevent later species) as succession mechanisms. This distinction is critical for understanding ecosystem development and business competition dynamics.
The facilitation vs. inhibition framework explains why pioneers create conditions for followers (facilitation) while also temporarily blocking them (inhibition) - directly applicable to platform businesses and ecosystem competition.
Key Findings from Connell & Slatyer (1977)
- Facilitation: early species make environment suitable for later species
- Inhibition: early species prevent later species while alive
- Tolerance: species coexist without strong interaction
- Succession pattern emerges from trade-offs between strategies