Download Ecological Succession

What does the word succession
mean?
• After the king died, the next person in
succession for the throne was his son.
• A mother's life, you see, is one long
succession of dramas, now soft and
tender, now terrible. Not an hour but has
its joys and fears.
Succession
• One thing follows another
• A line of descent
• A sum of changes that follow one another
Ecological Succession
How do ecosystems change over
time?
Ecological Succession
• Definition: predictable changes of growth
that occur in a community over time in
order to reach stability (climax community)
How Does Ecological Succession
Occur?
• The formation of new land (cooling of lava,
breakdown of rock by lichens, melting of
glacier to expose land)
OR
• After a natural and human disturbances
– Wildfires, floods, natural disasters
Types of Ecological Succession
• Primary Succession
• Secondary Succesion
Primary Succession
• First growth of a community
• No soil exists on surface. Soil must be
established by breakdown of rocks and
other organic substances
• Can happens on bare rock after volcanic
lava cools and forms rock or from the
breakdown of rocks by lichens
• Can happen after glacier melts and
exposes rock
How Does Ecological
Succession Occur?
Results Primary Succession
• Lichens small annual plantsshort
grasses and perennials with simple animal
life= PIONEER SPECIES
• Taller grasses, shrubs, softwood trees with
more diverse animal life= INTERMEDIATE
SPECIES
• Hardwood trees, diverse plant and animal
life= CLIMAX COMMUNITY
• Takes many, many, many years for a
community to reach a climax community
Primary Succession
Can a natural disaster cause
succession? YES
Can a natural disaster cause
succession?
• Yes called SECONDARY
SUCCESSION
• Re growth of a community after a natural
disaster (flood, fire, hurricane, or the
clearing away of land, etc.) has happened
• Main difference between secondary and
primary succession is that the SOIL is
already present and does not have to be
created again
Secondary Succession
Secondary Succession
Features
Secondary Succession
• Soil is enriched by dead plant and animal life
that is there
• Annual plants, grasses, some animal life
PIONEER SPECIES
• Taller grasses, shrubs, soft and hardwood trees
more complex animal life INTERMEDIATE
SPECIES
• Mature hardwood trees,plant life with diverse
animal life CLIMAX COMMUNITY
• Re-growth happens faster due to the soil being
present.
Order of succession
• 1- Pioneer species: first communities to appear
•
2- Intermediate species
•
3- Climax Community- final communities
Succession is Good? Bad?
• Succession Good promotes growth in a
community, returns nutrients to the soil
after disturbance (wildfire)
• Succession Bad established
communities are destroyed, takes a long
period of time to build climax community.
Animal populations may decrease or have
to migrate to find other habitats and
resources to live on.
SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG
TIME
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SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME
SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME
SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME
SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME
SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME
Comparing Primary and
Secondary Succession
Primary
• Breakdown of rock must
occur in order to form soil
• Occurs on barren or
newly formed land
• Takes a longer to reach a
climax community
Secondary
• Soil is already present
• Occurs after a natural
disaster or clearing away
of already present land
• Takes a shorter time to
establish a climax
community
Succession in Water
Water Succession
• Occurs when lakes or ponds begin to change over time to land
areas
• Over many years erosion of the land pulls sediment and soil to the
bottom of the pond or lakes floor or death of organisms in the water
system may occur.
• Animals begin to lose resources as the water system gets filled up
with sediment, soil, and decaying animals. They may begin to die.
New types of plant life begin to emerge while others die. Animals
that can survive and live in the new area now inhabit that area.
• Over time plant and animal life in the community changes in the land
area and a new climax community is established.
• Takes many years to happen as well
Summary Questions
• How long does succession take?
• Two types of ecological succession are…
• First species to develop in succession
are…
• Primary succession occurs on…
• Secondary succession occurs on…
• Water succession occurs when…