Ecological Succession

Defined• Change in community composition over time

– Can be seen following a disturbance• Volcanic Eruption

• Glacial Movement

• Fire

Primary Succession

Volcanic Explosion

Glacier Receding

Bare Rock

Secondary SuccessionAreas where living organisms occurred but a

disturbance destroyed the community

Pioneer Communities

Very Little to no SoilsLichens and MossesWind dispersed fast growing plantsLittle to no animals

Intermediate CommunitiesSoil formed from decomposed primary communityGrassesFull sun exposed fast growing trees and shrubsHerbivores

Mature CommunitiesDeeper SoilsSlow Growing TreesPlant Species that are more tolerant of variable conditionsShade Species of Flowers and Shrubs

Lichen

• Symbiotic association between a photosynthetic microorganism and a fungus

• Grows on– Rocks– Rotting logs– Trees

www.elkhornslough.org/ newspages/lichens.htm

http://www.rbge.org.uk

Dandelions(Taraxacum)

• Grow quickly and produce large number of seeds

• Seeds dispersed by wind currents

Cenchrus spinifex

(Field sandspur) • Annual grass in the Poaceae family, grows up to 1 foot tall

• Grows in full sun and in disturbed sites

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CESP4

White-tailed deer(Odocoileus virginianus)

• Diet includes: Leaves, twigs, and fruits or nuts of most vegetation including trees, as well as lichens and other fungi.

www.britannica.com/ebc/art/print?id=55849

Ruffed Grouse

• These birds forage on the ground or in trees but spend most of their time on the ground

• Diet includes: berries, seeds, fruits, nuts, leaves, and insects

www.pbase.com/muskrat/image/45132899

Gray Squirrel

• Primary component of diet includes hard nuts and fruit

• Will also eat seeds, fungi, insects and other arthropods, tree bark, nectar, leaves, buds, flowers, and sometimes bird eggs, nestlings and carrion (carcasses of dead animals).

www.snowmancam.com/wildlife_identification.htm

Wild Turkey

• Diet includes seeds, insects, and an occasional frog or lizard

www.statesymbolsusa.org/.../bird_wild_turkey.html

American Burying Beetle

• Diet includes the bodies of dead and decaying animals

• Play a major role as decomposers

Timber Rattlesnake

• Diet mainly includes small mammals, but may include small birds, frogs, or other snakes.

Eastern White Pine

(Pinus strobus)• Evergreen, fast growing tree

• Reaches heights up to 80 feet tall

• Needs full sun, and well-drained soil http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/

4/48/Pinus_strobus_trees.jpg/513px-Pinus_strobus_trees.jpg

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

• Deciduous shrub or tree, grows up to 50 feet tall

• Prefers full-sun

• Light sandy soils

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm

Deciduous Holly(Ilex decidua)

• Deciduous shrub or tree, grows up to 18 feet tall

• Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/i/iledec/iledec1.html

Four-leaf Milkweed(Asclepias quadrifolia)

• Perennial wildflower grows up to 2 feet tall

• Semi-shade tolerant and thrives in a variety of soil conditions

• Pollinated by butterflies, bees, moths, and attracts many different species of wildlife

© Gary P. Fleming

Dense blazing stars

(Liatris spicata)• Slow growing wildflower; grows up to 4.5 feet tall

• Grows best in full sunlight but is also partially shade tolerant images.whiteflowerfarm.com/32955a.jpg

Bottlebrush grass

(Elymus hystrix)• Perennial grass, grows up to 5 feet tall

• Wind pollinated and seeds are dispersed by wind

• Found in meadows and woodlands © Gary P. Fleming

Red Maple(Acer rubrum)

• Deciduous, shade tolerant tree, grows up to 90 feet tall

• Tolerates many sun conditions and soil environments

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm

Black Walnut(Juglans nigra)

• Tall, deciduous tree, grows up to 75 feet tall

• Moist, nutrient rich soils

• Fruits and nuts are food sources for many different wildlife species http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm

White Oak(Quercus alba)• Slow growing,

deciduous tree

• Grows up to 100 feet tall, and several feet wide

• Canopy species that creates large amounts of shade

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm

Spring Beauty(Claytonia virginica)• Perennial

wildflower, grows up to 6 inches tall

• Shade tolerant

• Underground stem is eaten by rodents

© Gary P. Fleming

Star Chickweed(Stellaria pubera)

• Native perennial wildflower, grows up to 1 foot tall

• Shade tolerant

• Found in moist, well-drained, nutrient rich soil

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/star_chickweed.htm

Poison Ivy(Toxicodendron radicans)

• Woody vine that grows on trees and shrubs

• Moderately shade tolerant

• Wildlife including songbirds, turkey, and deer feed on it

http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/t/wtora2-br10834.jpg

Wake Robin(Trillium grandiflorum)

• Wildflower that grows up to 18 inches

• Shade tolerant, forest floor species

• Fruit eaten by ants

http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/eastern/LakeVesuviusRockHouseTrail/images/trillium_grandiflora_lg.jpg

Black Bear(Ursus americanus)

• Omnivore

• Spring diet includes emerging plants and carcasses of animals that have died during the winter

• Summer diet includes fruits

• Fall diet includes fruits, acorns and beechnuts that have accumulated on the floor (mast)

• Black bears will also eat pinecones, roots, ants, and honey from wild or domestic bees

• Black bears are strong predators, and in some areas they frequently kill moose, calves, and deer fawns during spring.

greennature.com/.../black-bear.html

Bobcat(Lynx rufus)

• Diet includes rodents, rabbits, hares, and some birds.

Yellow-breasted chat

(Icteria virens)

• Most individuals extract small insects among foliage of trees or shrubs

Nuthatch • Searches tree trunks and rocks for food

• Diet includes insects and seeds

• Stores seeds for winter months