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Understanding Ecological Succession: Types and Stages of Changes in Ecosystems

Explore ecological succession, the gradual replacement of plant communities over time. Learn about primary and secondary succession, pioneer species, stages of succession, and climax communities in this natural process of ecosystem development.

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Understanding Ecological Succession: Types and Stages of Changes in Ecosystems

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  1. Changes in Ecosystems:Ecological Succession 1.05 Determine the interaction of organisms within an ecosystem.

  2. Ecological Succession • Ecological Succession is the natural, gradual changes in the types of species that live in an area; can be primary or secondary • The gradual replacement of one plant community by another through natural processes over time

  3. Primary Succession • Primary succession is the beginning of a community where few, if any, living things exist, or where earlier communities were wiped out.

  4. Primary Succession • Begins in a place without any soil • Sides of volcanoes • Landslides • Flooding • Starts with the arrival of living things such as lichens that do not need soil to survive • Called PIONEER SPECIES

  5. Pioneer Species These are the first species to occupy a new habitat, starting new communities. They have rapid reproductive strategies, enabling them to quickly occupy an uninhabited area.

  6. Primary Succession • Soil starts to form as lichens and the forces of weather and erosion help break down rocks into smaller pieces • When lichens die, they decompose, adding small amounts of organic matter to the rock to make soil

  7. A new community, called a pioneer community, is beginning to thrive. • A pioneer community is the first community thriving in a once lifeless area.

  8. Primary Succession • Simple plants like mosses and ferns can grow in the new soil

  9. Primary Succession • The simple plants die, adding more organic material • The soil layer thickens, and grasses, wildflowers, and other plants begin to take over

  10. Primary Succession • These plants die, and they add more nutrients to the soil • Shrubs and tress can survive now

  11. Primary Succession • Insects, small birds, and mammals have begun to move in • What was once bare rock now supports a variety of life

  12. Secondary Succession • Begins in a place that already has soil and was once the home of living organisms • Occurs faster and has different pioneer species than primary succession • Example: after forest fires

  13. Stages of Succession

  14. Climax Community • A stable group of plants and animals that is the end result or final stage of the successionprocess • Does not always mean big trees • Grasses in prairies • Cacti in deserts

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