I would like to point out a few other terms that you may come across in the scientific literature or in a course. A successional model is a conceptual map which shows the successional pathway by identifying the relationships between the mechanisms and stages of succession, typically called seres.

A successional mechanism is an interaction or process that facilitates a change. For example, competition and disturbance agents are considered successional mechanisms.

A successional pathway is the pattern of vegetation change, typically shown in terms of community types (these are often named for different combinations of dominant vegetation and structure). Successional pathways may include time frames and describe the changes of certain species at population levels.