I'm trying to program a model of
Ecological Succession but I'm having a hard time understanding (or even finding information on) the specifics.
I get why grasses appear first. I get why once a forest shows up there isn't much undercanopy growth. What I don't get is how grassess give way to bushes and eventually trees. I know it's that bushes outcompete grasses and trees outcompete bushes, I just don't get how they outcompete.
I think it has to do with root depth, shade tolerance, and things like that.
What are the specifics exactly.