The process of primary succession can take hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In contrast, the process of secondary succession can reestablish an ecosystem’s climax communities in as few as 50 years.

Examples of Primary Succession

• Volcanic eruptions.
• Retreat of glaciers.
• Flooding accompanied by severe soil erosion.
• Landslides.
• Nuclear explosions.
• Oil spills.
• Abandonment of a manmade structure, such as a paved parking lot.

Primary succession occurs when new land is formed or bare rock is exposed, providing a habitat that can be colonized for the first time. For example, primary succession may take place following the eruption of volcanoes, such as those on the Big Island of Hawaii. As lava flows into the ocean, new rock is formed.

The labels I-VII represent the different stages of primary succession. I-bare rocks, II-pioneers (mosses, lichen, algae, fungi), III-annual herbaceous plants, IV-perennial herbaceous plants and grasses, V-shrubs, VI-shade intolerant trees, VII-shade tolerant trees.

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ecological succession, the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different types of succession—primary and secondary—have been distinguished.

They are similar in that both involve the growth of new organisms in an environment. However they differ in that primary succession occurs in a place where no life had been before, while secondary succession occurs in place where life had been before, but was destroyed.

lichens

Secondary succession

• A stable deciduous forest community.
• A disturbance, such as a fire, starts.
• The fire destroys the vegetation.
• The fire leaves behind empty, but not destroyed soil.
• Grasses and other herbaceous plants grow back first.
• Small bushes and trees begin to colonize the public area.

Succession currently is obscured by the long-term state transition or regime shift from fire-tolerant oak and pine species to fire-sensitive species, which are not late-successional, because of fire exclusion and current land use that favors planted species and species competitive after overstory tree removal.

According to classical ecological theory, succession stops when the sere has arrived at an equilibrium or steady state with the physical and biotic environment. Excluding prime disturbances, it will persist indefinitely. This end point of succession is called climax.

Climate and edaphic factors determine the nature of a climax community….Climax community:

• greater biomass.
• higher levels of species diversity.
• more favourable soil condition.
• better soil structure.
• lower pH.
• taller and longer living plant species.
• more k-strategies or fewer r-strategist.
• greater habitat diversity.

Abiotic factors such as soil quality, water, and climate will determine the species that continue the process of succession. Mosses and grasses will be able to grow in the newly created soil. During early succession, plant species like grasses that grow and reproduce quickly will take over the landscape.

Save This Word! An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment. A climax community is the final stage of succession, remaining relatively unchanged until destroyed by an event such as fire or human interference.

The final stage of succession is a climax community, which is a very stable stage that can endure for hundreds of years.

Climax ecosystem: The last stage in ecological Succession. An ecosystem in which populations of all organisms are in balance with each other and with existing abiotic factors.

In scientific ecology, climax community or climatic climax community is a historic term for a community of plants, animals, and fungi which, through the process of ecological succession in the development of vegetation in an area over time, have reached a steady state.

Yes. While there is no universal formula to form a climax community, this stage in particular is relative to the immediate environment. Additionally, community stability may be a result of a lack of disturbance or the community’s resistance to change.

During succession, some species colonize and their populations become more numerous, whereas other species populations decline and even disappear. Is Succession Predictable? We do know there will be changes to structure, function, and species composition that will continue to change over time .

Primary succession begins in barren areas, such as on bare rock exposed by a retreating glacier. Over hundreds of years these “pioneer species” convert the rock into soil that can support simple plants such as grasses. These grasses further modify the soil, which is then colonized by other types of plants.

Similar to plants, all lichens photosynthesize. They need light to provide energy to make their own food. More specifically, the algae in the lichen produce carbohydrates and the fungi take those carbohydrates to grow and reproduce.