Ecological Succession

E

Ecological Succession

the change of communities which can take thousands of years and involved both biotic and abiotic factors

types of ecological succesion

• primary and secondary

pioneer communities

• best adapted to colonise new habitat, mainy R selected species

climax community

• final stage in ecological succession

• v stable and biodiverse

  • filled with the best competitors and slowest growers

plagioclimax community

• when natural succession is stopped from reaching its full climactic community

primary succesion

• slower as bare rock is colonized for the first time - rare, only occurs when new island is formed by lava or glacier recedes

• pioneer species like lichens erode rock and form soil

• allows plants with deeper roots to grow

• these better competitors displace the previous organisms

• bigger and deeper roots means more productivity,biodiversity and community interactions

• stabilizes the environment and mainly r-selected species now shift to mainly k-selected species

• climax community is reached

  • best competitors - cannot be displaced

secondary succession

• area previously supporting life is cleared either by humans or natural disaster

• then recolonized

• faster as soil is already present, soils seeds etc remain viable in the soil