What does the word succession mean?

• After the king died, the next person in succession for the throne was his son.

• A mother's life, you see, is one long succession of dramas, now soft and tender, now terrible. Not an hour but has its joys and fears.

Succession

• One thing follows another

• A line of descent

• A sum of changes that follow one another

Ecological Succession

How do ecosystems change over time?

Ecological Succession

• Definition: predictable changes of growth that occur in a community over time in order to reach stability (climax community)

How Does Ecological Succession Occur?

• The formation of new land (cooling of lava, breakdown of rock by lichens, melting of glacier to expose land)

OR• After a natural and human disturbances

–Wildfires, floods, natural disasters

Types of Ecological Succession

• Primary Succession

• Secondary Succesion

Primary Succession

• First growth of a community• No soil exists on surface. Soil must be

established by breakdown of rocks and other organic substances

• Can happens on bare rock after volcanic lava cools and forms rock or from the breakdown of rocks by lichens

• Can happen after glacier melts and exposes rock

How Does Ecological Succession Occur?

Results Primary Succession

• Lichens small annual plantsshort grasses and perennials with simple animal life= PIONEER SPECIES

• Taller grasses, shrubs, softwood trees with more diverse animal life= INTERMEDIATE SPECIES

• Hardwood trees, diverse plant and animal life= CLIMAX COMMUNITY

• Takes many, many, many years for a community to reach a climax community

Primary Succession

Can a natural disaster cause succession? YES

Can a natural disaster cause succession?

• Yes called SECONDARY SUCCESSION

• Re growth of a community after a natural disaster (flood, fire, hurricane, or the clearing away of land, etc.) has happened

• Main difference between secondary and primary succession is that the SOIL is already present and does not have to be created again

Secondary Succession

Secondary Succession Features

Secondary Succession

• Soil is enriched by dead plant and animal life that is there

• Annual plants, grasses, some animal life PIONEER SPECIES

• Taller grasses, shrubs, soft and hardwood trees more complex animal life INTERMEDIATE SPECIES

• Mature hardwood trees,plant life with diverse animal life CLIMAX COMMUNITY

• Re-growth happens faster due to the soil being present.

Order of succession

• 1- Pioneer species: first communities to appear

• 2- Intermediate species

• 3- Climax Community- final communities

Succession is Good? Bad?

• Succession Good promotes growth in a community, returns nutrients to the soil after disturbance (wildfire)

• Succession Bad established communities are destroyed, takes a long period of time to build climax community. Animal populations may decrease or have to migrate to find other habitats and resources to live on.

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SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME

• SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME

• SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME

• SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME

• SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME

• SUCCESSION TAKES A LONG TIME

Comparing Primary and Secondary Succession

Primary

• Breakdown of rock must occur in order to form soil

• Occurs on barren or newly formed land

• Takes a longer to reach a climax community

Secondary

• Soil is already present• Occurs after a natural

disaster or clearing away of already present land

• Takes a shorter time to establish a climax community

Succession in Water

Water Succession

• Occurs when lakes or ponds begin to change over time to land areas

• Over many years erosion of the land pulls sediment and soil to the bottom of the pond or lakes floor or death of organisms in the water system may occur.

• Animals begin to lose resources as the water system gets filled up with sediment, soil, and decaying animals. They may begin to die. New types of plant life begin to emerge while others die. Animals that can survive and live in the new area now inhabit that area.

• Over time plant and animal life in the community changes in the land area and a new climax community is established.

• Takes many years to happen as well

Summary Questions

• How long does succession take?

• Two types of ecological succession are…

• First species to develop in succession are…

• Primary succession occurs on…

• Secondary succession occurs on…

• Water succession occurs when…