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Climax species, also called '''late [[Sere (ecology)|seral]]''', '''late-successional''', '''[[K-selected]]''' or '''equilibrium''' species, are [[plant]] [[species]] that can germinate and grow with limited resources, like they need heat exposure or low water availability.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal| vauthors = Shimano K |date=2000-02-01|title=A power function for forest structure and regeneration pattern of pioneer and climax species in patch mosaic forests |journal=Plant Ecology|language=en|volume=146|issue=2|pages=205–218|doi=10.1023/A:1009867302660|s2cid=275790|issn=1573-5052}}</ref> They are the species within [[Ecological succession|forest succession]] that are more adapted to stable and predictable environments, and will remain essentially unchanged in terms of species composition for as long as a site remains undisturbed.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Wehenkel C, Bergmann F, Gregorius HR |date=2006-07-01|title=Is there a trade-off between species diversity and genetic diversity in forest tree communities? |journal=Plant Ecology|language=en|volume=185|issue=1|pages=151–161|doi=10.1007/s11258-005-9091-2 |s2cid=20085178}}</ref>
The [[Seedling|seedlings]] of climax species can grow in the shade of the parent trees, ensuring their dominance indefinitely. The presence of climax species can also reduce the prevalence of other species within an ecosystem.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Do HT, Grant JC, Zimmer HC, Trinh BN, Nichols JD | title = Site conditions for regeneration of climax species, the key for restoring moist deciduous tropical forest in Southern Vietnam | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 15 | issue = 5 | pages = e0233524 | date = 2020-05-29 | pmid = 32469962 | pmc = 7259571 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0233524 | bibcode = 2020PLoSO..1533524D }}</ref> However, a [[Disturbance (ecology)|disturbance]], such as fire, may kill the climax species, allowing [[Pioneer species|pioneer]] or earlier successional species to re-establish for a time.<ref>{{cite journal| vauthors = Wehenkel C, Bergmann F, Gregorius HR |date=2006-07-01|title=Is there a trade-off between species diversity and genetic diversity in forest tree communities? |journal=Plant Ecology|language=en|volume=185|issue=1|pages=151–161|doi=10.1007/s11258-005-9091-2|s2cid=20085178|issn=1573-5052}}</ref> They are the opposite of [[pioneer species]], also known as [[Ruderal species|ruderal]], fugitive, opportunistic or [[R-selected]] species, in the sense that climax species are good competitors but poor colonizers, whereas pioneer species are good colonizers but poor competitors.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Brown S, Dockery J, Pernarowski M | title = Traveling wave solutions of a reaction diffusion model for competing pioneer and climax species | journal = Mathematical Biosciences | volume = 194 | issue = 1 | pages = 21–36 | date = March 2005 | pmid = 15836862 | doi = 10.1016/j.mbs.2004.10.001 }}</ref>
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