Preface. - 1 The nature of vegetation. - 1. 1 Ubiquity of changes in time. - 1. 2 Variation in space. - 1. 3 The nature of vegetation in time. - 2 Processes of vegetation change. - 2. 1 Initiation of successions and fluctuations. - 2. 2 Immigration of species. - 2. 3 Establishment. - 2. 4 Competition. - 2. 5 Site modification. - 2. 6 Stabilization. - 3 Fluctuations. - 3. 1 Definitions of vegetation change. - 3. 2 Phenological changes. - 3. 3 Changes with fluctuations in environment. - 4 Regeneration and cyclic changes. - 5 Primary successions. - 5. 1 Successions on submerged and waterlogged soils. - 5. 2 Succession behind retreating glaciers. - 6 Secondary successions. - 6. 1 The course of secondary succession. - 6. 2 Factors determining the course of secondary succession. - 6. 3 Predictability of secondary succession. - 7 Changes caused by grazing animals. - 8 Concluding remarks. - References. Language: English