The ideal bog turtle habitat is early successional. Eastern rat snakes do especially well in early successional and edge habitats. Traditional slash-and-burn agriculture creates optimum habitat for elephants through promoting successional vegetation. Also doing well are mammals that prefer farm and early successional habitats. They are pioneer species on disturbed sites, persisting in successional communities until senescence. Without fire or other disturbance, these forests are being replaced by later successional, shade-tolerant species. They often constitute early successional species of their landscapes. It occupies both successional and mature forest. Following a fire, early successional species disperse and establish first. Legumes are often able to colonize early successional environments due to the unavailability of nutrients. In terms of successional status, blue grama is a late seral to climax species. Clements and his followers developed a complex taxonomy of communities and successional pathways. Several studies found increased eastern towhee abundance on early successional sites compared to later-successional sites. In most communities eastern towhees are more abundant in young successional stands. Progress along a desired successional pathway may be difficult if multiple stable states exist.