Contribution to the Knowledge of the Vegetation Dynamics Processes in the Lesser Antilles

The geomorphology and the climate represent the two elements that form the basis of biotope diversity in the Lesser Antilles. They are home to many plant species expressing various combinations. Irrespective of their morphogenetic phases and phytocenotic evolution stages, the taxa occupy specific sites. These sites named installation and expansion site represent volumes (epigeous and hypogeous sections) whose factorial features vary in parallel to the ecosystem changes and where the plants, based on their ecological profiles, go through the various stages of their development to reach maturity (phenology). A vegetation unit can therefore be equated with a set of interdependent installation and expansion sites corresponding to different species populations. The progressive or regressive vegetation dynamics translates into floristic preponderance changes. This fact is linked to changes in the dominance relations between the families on the installation and expansion sites. Understanding the latter is helpful to approach the auto-ecological and synecological process. Starting from scientific literature data (in particular those regarding the Caribbean), in this paper we will show the important role played by the installation and expansion sites in the spatio-temporal dynamics of the plant ecosystem.