Successional

suc·ces·sion  (sk-sshn)

n.

1. The act or process of following in order or sequence.

2. A group of people or things arranged or following in order; a sequence: "A succession of one-man stalls offered soft drinks" Alec Waugh. See Synonyms at series.

3.

a. The sequence in which one person after another succeeds to a title, throne, dignity, or estate.

b. The right of a person or line of persons to so succeed.

c. The person or line having such a right.

4.

a. The act or process of succeeding to the rights or duties of another.

b. The act or process of becoming entitled as a legal beneficiary to the property of a deceased person.

5. Ecology The gradual and orderly process of ecosystem development brought about by changes in community composition and the production of a climax characteristic of a particular geographic region.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin successi, successin-, from successus, past participle of succdere, to succeed; see succeed.]

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suc·cession·al adj.

suc·cession·al·ly adv.