Predicting successional changes
| Feature | Start of succession | End of succession (climax community) |
| Type of species present | R-selected, small organisms that are fast growing | K-selected, larger organisms that are slower growing |
| Biodiversity | Low | High |
| Biomass | Low | High |
| Biotic interactions | Simple interactions based on food chains | Complex interactions based on food webs |
| Abiotic interactions | Bare ground, or poor quality soil, low nutrient levels. Unstable. | Good quality soil and high levels of nutrients. Stable. |
r-strategists typically live in unstable, unpredictable environments where the ability to reproduce rapidly (exponentially) is important.
K-strategists occupy more stable environments. They are larger in size and have longer life expectancies. They are stronger or are better protected and generally are more energy efficient.
In general, communities in early succession will be dominated by fast-growing, well-dispersed species (pioneer/r-selected life-histories).
As succession proceeds, these species will tend to be replaced by more competitive (k-selected) species. They tend to inhabit relatively stable biological communities, such as late-successional or climax forests.