Think About It

• What happens to an open field after a major fire has destroyed the area?

• After a volcanic eruption, and new land is formed will life exist here again?

Ecological Succession

• Write the information that is in BLUE in your notebook

Ecological Succession

How do communities change over time?

Ecological Succesion

• Definition: predictable changes that occur in a community over time

Causes of Ecological Succession

• Natural and human disturbances– Older organisms move out new move in– Wildfires, floods, melting of glaciers

Types of Ecological Succession

• Primary Succession

• Secondary Succesion

Primary Succession

Primary Succession

• First growth of community

• No soil exists on surface

• Happens on bare rock after volcanic lava cools and forms rock

• Happens after glacier melts and exposes rock

Human Disturbance

Secondary Succession

Secondary Succession

• Second growth of community

• Happens after a disturbance (wildfire, abandoned cleared land)

• SOIL remains in community after disturbance

Order of succession

• 1- Pioneer species: first communities to appear

• 2- Intermediate species

• 3- Climax Community- final communities

Organisms of Succession

• Primary Succession (on rock)

Lichensmoss grass small shrubssoft trees hardwood trees

• Secondary Succession (on soil)

Small plants grasses, perrenialsshrubs, soft trees (pine) mature forest (oak, hickory)

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

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

Succession in Water

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…

Comparison T- chart

• Create a T- chart that compares the following features of succession– Causes– Begins with…– Type of pioneer species– Length of time

T-chart

Primary Succession

Secondary Succession

Causes

Begins with

Type of Pioneer species

Length of Time