"The plant population that is found growing at a point in space and time is the consequence of a catena of past events. The climate and the substrate provide the scenery and the stage for the cast of plant and animal players that come and go. The cast is large and many members play no part, remaining dormant. The remainder act out a tragedy dominated by hazard, struggle and death in which there are few survivors. The appearance of the stage at any moment can only be understood in relation to previous scenes and acts, though it can be described and, like a photograph of a point in the performance of a play, can be compared with points in other plays. Such comparisons are dominated by the scenery, the relative unchanging backcloth of the action. It is not possible to make much sense of the plot or the action as it is seen at such a point in time. Most of our knowledge of the structure and diversity of plant communities comes from describing areas of vegetation at points in time and imposing for the purpose of a human value of scale on a system to which this may be irrelevant."
Metaphor Synonyms:
Plant Traits Phenotype
Actors/Characters
Life History Timing
Plot
Habitat
Space
Setting/Scenery/Stage
Resources Substrate
Goal/Opportunity/raison d'ętre
Disturbance Change
Action
The Spatial-Temporal Abiotic Environment
The Plant Community Environment
