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Judge/Haines
Name ________________________
Date _________________________
Succession Case Study (pages 296-299)
Outcome:
306-4 identify sign of ecological succession in an ecosystem
1 2 3 4
New vocabulary: match the terms to their definition by writing them in the blank
spaces before the definitions.
Pioneer species
Succession
Primary succession
Climax communities
Secondary succession
1. ____________________: the process by which the dominate species
within an ecosystem are gradually replaced by other species.
2. ____________________: succession that occurs after the partial or
complete destruction of a community, such as in the case of a forest fire.
3. ____________________: the final community that remains unchanged for
years.
4. ____________________: succession that occurs in an area where there
was no otter community before.
5. ____________________: the first organism to appear in a situation of
primary succession.
Begin reading p. 296-299 and answer the following questions as you come to
them. Remember there may be many correct answers, as long as your
responses are reasonable and are based in your knowledge of ecosystems
they will be correct. Complete the answers to these questions in full
sentences on looseleaf.
a) Why wouldn’t you expect to find animals on a new island?
b) Why are lichens able to grow on barren rock?
c) Why would moss communities succeed (come after) lichen communities?
d) Often marine birds stop to rest or even nest on new islands. Because
there are no predatory animals, they feel safe. How might birds stopping
on the island affect succession?
e) What advantages do plants such as dandelions and crabgrass have over
mosses and lichens?
g) Why would a forest support more species of birds than a grassland
community (think about the difference between the forest and the grassland
community)?
Judge/Haines
Name ________________________
Date _________________________
h) Give your reasons why a fire may be more likely in a mature forest.
i) Which plants act as pioneers following a forest fire?
j) Why do grasses appear before trees and shrubs?
Questions (l-q) focus on figure 7
l) What happens to the depth of the pond over time? How might this
happen?
m) Explain how the changes in pond temperature are related to the depth of
the pond. (What might be filling in the bottom of the pond?)
n) How does the change in temperature affect the type and number of plants
found in the pond?
o) Describe changes in the type and number of fish found in the pond
through the three stages.
p) Why do trout seem to disappear after stage 1?
q) Why might turtles be found in stage 2?