Disturbance ecology is a field of ecology, which includes vegetation ecology, ecosystem dynamics, and biogeochemistry of nutrient cycles. Here, contents and topics of disturbance ecology are presented, as well as definitions of disturbance events and disturbance regimes, descriptors of disturbance regimes, and methods for the quantitative characterization of disturbance species in landscape elements of Central Europe. Elements of ecosystem dynamics such as disturbance interactions, disturbance cycles, and disturbance cascades are introduced. Important scales of disturbance ecology such as frequency and magnitude of disturbance events are discussed, successional processes depending on disturbances are classified, and the model of dynamic equilibrium in landscape ecology is explained. The theories of niche differentiation, the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis, and the role of disturbances for biodiversity and productivity are briefly introduced in this chapter and discussed in more detail in the following chapters of this book.