Ecosystems grow and develop just as living things do. Ecological succession is the process of evolution in the gradual structure of a climax community. The amount of time it takes can be decades or even millions of years after extinction. The community begins with a select amount of plants and animals, and it gradually develops and increases until it becomes a stable and ever-changing climax community.
It is a process by which an ecological community goes through orderly and natural changes. A climax community is the result of succession, which is a constant and unchanging final state. It is also primarily determined by an area's climate. As an ecosystem develops, it undergoes less and less succession.