Download Questions: Ecological Succession is the natural, gradual changes in

Date:
Topic/Objective: Ecological Succession
9/16
Essential Question: What are the differences between primary and secondary
succession?
Questions: Ecological Succession is the natural, gradual changes in
the types of organisms that live in an area over time.
Pioneer Species are a hardy species which are the 1st to
grow in an ecosystem, beginning a chain of ecological
succession.
Primary Succession begins in a place without any soil.
 Starts with bare rock
 Pioneer Species – Lichen and Moss
Secondary Succession begins in a place that already has
soil and was once the home of living organisms.
 Examples: after forest fires, landslides, floods, or
plowing
 Pioneer Species – Grasses and Weeds
Climax Community is a stable group of plants and animals
that is the end result of the succession process. This does
not always mean you have big trees.
 Examples: Grasses in prairies, cacti in deserts
 Climax Communities are different for each ecosystem
Native Species – A species that occurs naturally within a
region, either evolving there or arriving and becoming
established without human assistance.
Alien Species – A species that is not native to the
ecosystem.
Invasive Species – An alien species whose introduction
causes harm to the environment.
Summary: