Ecological Succession Notes

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What is succession?

• A number of persons or things following one another in order or sequence.

Example: Succession of U.S. President. One president replacing another president. President Barack Obama replacing President George W. Bush

Ecological Succession

• The series of predictable changes that occur in a community (All the different organisms that live together in an area) over time.

• It is a slow and gradual process.

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Think about ecological succession as…

One community (All the different organisms that live together in an area) replacing another community.

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Example:

Lichens (type of organisms) on

rock

is replaced by

Grasses Shrubs

Coniferous TreesDeciduous

Trees

replaced

replaced

replaced

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Lichen on rockGrass

Shrub

Trees

Turn to your neighbor and teach what

ecological succession is.

• Watch short video clip on succession.

• http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=857C8E78-485F-4DF0-A7F9-790AF4946EE4&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

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• Trees

• Shrubs

• Lichens

• Grasses

Pioneer species

• The first species to populate the area is called a pioneer species.

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What is the pioneer species in this succession?

Lichens (type of organisms) on

rock

is replaced by

Grasses Shrubs

Coniferous TreesDeciduous

Trees

replaced

replaced

replaced

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Succession

Primary Succession

Secondary Succession

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Primary Succession

• Begins in a place without any soil (no ecosystem)– New island formed from the eruption of

volcano.– An area of rock uncovered by a melting sheet

of ice

• Starts with the arrival of living things such as lichens that do not need soil to survive

called PIONEER SPECIES

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1st , 4th, 5th, 6th period stopped

http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/

Primary Succession

• Soil starts to form as lichens or other forces in nature, 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.

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http://www.life.uiuc.edu

Primary Succession

• Simple plants like mosses and ferns can grow in the new soil

http://uisstc.georgetown.edu

http://www.uncw.edu

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2nd – 3rd period stopped

Primary Succession

• The simple plants die, adding more organic material

• The soil layer thickens, and grasses, wildflowers, and other plants begin to take over

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu

Primary Succession

• These plants die, and they add more nutrients to the soil

• Shrubs and trees can survive now

http://www.rowan.edu

Primary Succession

• Insects, small birds, and mammals have begun to move in

• What was once bare rock now supports a variety of life

http://p2-raw.greenpeace.org

Summarize Primary Succession

Bare rocks Lichens growsWeathering / Decomposition

Make soil

Mosses and ferns grow

Wildflower and Grass growShrubs

grow

Tall Trees grow

Mammals and insects move in

the area

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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

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Climax Community or Equilibrium

• A state of balance, when the numbers and species of organisms in it do not change suddenly.

• A stable group of plants and animals that is the end result of the succession process.

• Species are replaced until a stable ecosystem is established.

• Stable ecosystem will last for several years.

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Review (united streaming)

• http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=3A426597-8A6A-49EE-ACC0-3B2AF58639B1&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US

Primary Succession and Secondary succession

Primary Succession Both Secondary Succession

• Changes occur where NO ecosystem existed previously• Pioneer species are often lichens and mosses• More slow than secondary succession• From volcano or glacier retreat (melting ice)

• Changes in community over time• Slow process

•Changes occur after a disturbance in existing ecosystem.• Diverse pioneer species• More rapid than primary succession• From fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes

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