Ecological succession is a process where one plant community changes into another plant community. It involves the immigration and extinction of species coupled with changes in the relative abundance of different plants.
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Ecological succession is the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time. Gradually, these communities replace one another until a “climax community”—like a mature forest—is reached, or until a disturbance, like a fire, occurs.
Primary succession takes place on newly exposed surfaces such as might appear after a volcanic eruption or following a rockslide in the mountains. Secondary succession occurs when vegetation is removed from land and new kinds of plants return to colonize the bare ground.
The following points highlight the top two types of succession in plant communities. The types are: 1. Succession on a Bare Rock (Xerarch) 2. Succession in Aquatic Environment (Hydrarch). Type # 1. Succession on a Bare Rock (Xerarch): For example, in the succession from bare rock, there must first be the long process of rebuilding the soil.
During hydrarch succession, the colonisation by land plants usually progresses from margins toward the centre of the pond area. At the climax stage, a complete harmony is established among plant community and habitat. Related Articles:
Primary and secondary succession both create a continually changing mix of species within communities as disturbances of different intensities, sizes, and frequencies alter the landscape. The sequential progression of species during succession, however, is not random.
Factors of Ecological SuccessionTopographical. Extreme conditions cause abiotic topographical factors, which are mainly involved with secondary succession. ... Soil. The soil, an abiotic factor, of an environment affects ecological primary succession greatly. ... Climate. ... Species Interaction and Competition.
Primary succession is the series of community changes which occur on an entirely new habitat which has never been colonized before. For example, a newly quarried rock face or sand dunes. Secondary succession is the series of community changes which take place on a previously colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat.
Causes of Succession a. Initiating causes - Activity of abiotic (light, temperature, water, fire, soil erosion and wind) and biotic factors (competition among organisms) leads to formation of a barren area or destruction of the existing community of an area, initiating primary or secondary succession respectively.
Plant succession can be defined as the process of gradual replacement of one plant community by another plant community which is of stable type. It occurs over a period of time.
The process of plant succession consists of nine steps. The nine steps are: (1) Nudation (2) Migration (3) Germination (4) Ecesis (5) Colonisation and Aggregation (6) Competition and Co-action (7) Invasion (8) Reaction and (9) Stabilisation.
Secondary succession occurs when vegetation is removed from land and new kinds of plants return to colonize the bare ground. On sites undergoing primary succession, no soil is present, and vegetation and soil develop concurrently.
One of the easiest ecological processes to observe is succession, the change in the composition of the vegetation of a particular site over time. Two kinds occur. Primary succession takes place on newly exposed surfaces such as might appear after a volcanic eruption or following a rockslide in the mountains.
The plant community usually is the largest visible part of an ecosystem, and often both the community and the ecosystem are named for the dominant plants present—that is, the plants that, by virtue of their size or numbers, modify and control the environment. The community is not a haphazard collection of organisms, but consists of populations of individuals whose tolerance ranges —the range of environmental conditions in which individuals of a particular species will grow—match those of the site.
In secondary succession, vegetation develops on soil already in place, but the soil changes over time as the new colonizers develop new communities above, and below ground. Weedy annuals are the usual pioneer species that colonize bare ground.
Ponds and lakes also go through a natural process of succession. During this process, debris accumulates within the pond, making the pond increasingly shallow. The source of this debris can be the terrestrial plants along the pond’s edge, or aquatic plants that live in the pond. From a clear, deep pond (A), the process leads to development of a shallow bog (D), a moist meadow of mostly herbaceous (non-woody) plants (E), to a forest (F).
When a forest is cleared (by human activity such as logging , or by a forest fire), secondary succession follows. The main difference between primary and secondary succession is that secondary succession starts with an intact layer of soil. Soil creation is one of the most time-consuming parts of primary succession. As a result, the recovery of a forest following a fire or clearing can be much quicker than what occurs during primary succession.