Ecosystems in transition: Interactions and feedbacks with an emphasis on the initial development

Abstract

First paragraph: In this Special Issue of Biogeosciences on "Ecosystems in transition: Interactions and feedbacks with an emphasis on the initial development", we bring together research on ecosystems undergoing state transitions, including artificially created and naturally formed sites, most of them in an initial stage of development. State transitions of an ecosystem may occur either when a formerly stable system state is disturbed or when a developing system gradually achieves new functions during succession. Thus, state transitions of ecosystems are not necessarily restricted to a deterioration of ecosystems but can also be observed during initial ecosystem evolution.