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Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession

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246 views3 pages

Ecological Succession

Ecological Succession

Uploaded by

Bio Sciences
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Ecological Succession

Succession can be defined as the change in the structure and species composition of a community over time. It is very often confused with
zonation - the change in species composition over an area.

Secondary Succession
Events such as fires and landslides will disrupt
succession or the continuation of the climax
community. Following such destruction, the
process of succession will occur again from the
new environmental conditions - not from a bare
surface and this is known as secondary
succession. Following a fire, many species will

Figures 2 and 3 show the process of succession


on exposed rock and open water respectively.

Fig 1. Changes in vegetation during succession

Numbers

Biomass

Primary
Production

Species
Diversity

As environmental conditions become more


favourable, particularly due to soil accumulation,
the level of primary production and so biomass
increases. Species diversity also increases rapidly,
with each successional stage having a dominant
species, which is either the largest or the most
abundant plant (Fig 1). The decline in species
diversity approaching climax occurs because the
dominant species out-competes other species.
For example, oak trees in deciduous woodlands
out-compete other species for sunlight, water and
nutrients.

This occurs when the climax community is


prevented from establishing, as a result of, for
example, management practices by humans.
Woodlands will not develop on a sheep-grazed
hillside, for example, and areas such as the South
Downs would disappear very rapidly if sheep
were prevented from gaining access to the area.
The community which is maintained under such
conditions is known as a plagioclimax.

The initial organisms provide organic material for


soil development and may increase the weathering
of the substrate, usually rock. The very slow
development of soil enables the establishment of
more advanced plant species, which in turn provide
more organic material and encourages further soil
development.

Deflected Succession

Primary Succession.
Primary succession is the simplest type of
succession, beginning with a bare surface with no
life or soil present. The bare surface may be rock
from a recently erupted volcano or sand dunes or
even a lake surface. The first organisms to colonize
the area are known as the pioneer community
and usually consists of organisms such as
cyanophycae, algae and lichens.

Eventually, a climax community will be reached,


with the fully developed soil supporting the
vegetation best adapted to the local conditions.
The change in biomass (amount of living material),
primary production (rate of photosynthesis) and
species diversity is illustrated in Fig 1.

The stages in succession - where different


communities predominate - are called seres.
Theoretically, a community will eventually form
which is in complete equilibrium with its physical
environment and no further changes will occur to
that community - this is then known as the
climax community.

be removed but some seeds, for example, will


remain viable in the soil and their regrowth and the
invasion of new species represents secondary
succession. Some species are even adapted to
thrive following such events. For example, acacia
trees of the African savannahs have fire-resistant
trunks and seed germination of the Californian
chaparral tree is triggered by the intense heat
caused by fires.

Exam hint - Even the most able candidates


appear to believe that succession refers
only to vegetation. However, vegetation
changes are always associated with
corresponding changes in bacteria, fungi,
insects, birds and mammals.

As a community develops, it alters its physical


environment eg. root growth changes the physical
and chemical nature of the soil by aerating it and
adding exudates etc. The changed environmental
conditions which result actually favour the
colonisation and growth of different species which
eventually give rise to a new community. It is this
process of change which is termed succession. If
all of the changes are brought about by the plants
themselves, this process is called autogenic
succession. However, if external factors such as
flooding, (for example, as a result of rising sea
levels), alter the development of the community,
then this is termed allogenic succession. It is
important to realise that the term community
refers to the population of all species in an area
and this includes insects, birds and mammals as
well as plants.

(Pioneer)

Time
(Climax)

Exam hint - The most common exam questions on succession focus on sand dunes but
candidates very often lose many marks by confining their responses solely to such areas.

Ecological Succession

Fig 2. Succession from bare rock


Exposed Rock

Lichens and
Mosses

Horsetails and Legumes

Grasses, Ferns and


Brackens

Large shrubs, small trees

Light-demanding
woodland

Climax Woodland

Soil forms slowly


due to chemical
and physical
weathering
processes.
(weathering = the
breakdown or
decomposition of
rock in situ).
Spiders may use
cracks in rocks as
web sites.

Moss rhizoids,
for example,
accelerate
physical,
chemical and
biological
weathering and
capture wind
blown sediments.
Organic matter
builds up slowly.
Total biomass is
low.

Increasing soil depth allows


vegetation to develop. Initially,
these are often legumes which
possess nitrogen-fixing bacteria in
their root nodules. The development
of nodules is fastest on nutrientpoor substrates and the ultimate
death and decay of such organisms
increases the organic matter and
fertility of the soil. Root growth and
exudates change soil aeration and its
chemical and physical structure.
The species diversity of insects,
other invertebrates and birds
increases.

More non-leguminous
species are now able to
germinate and grow. The
species diversity of
autotrophs rapidly
increases which means
the species diversity at
higher trophic levels is
also able to increase.
Vegetation shelters the
soil from direct sunlight
and the diurnal
temperature range of the
soil decreases and
moisture content
increases.

Larger plants change the light,


temperature and water regimes of the
soil, altering, for example, the rates of
decomposition. Non-vascular plants
are now much less important. Shrubs
and trees provide hunting, mating and
nesting sites for birds whose species
diversity increases. Some of these birds
bring in seeds eg. hawthorn, blackberry,
oak from different areas which further
increases plant diversity. Leaf litter,
branches and frass may significantly
alter soil pH which will affect the
bacterial, fungal and invertebrate
populations. In turn, these will provide
a source of food for new heterotrophs.

Woodland provides many


new niches which may, in
turn, add to species
diversity. The abiotic
conditions within the
woodland are altered (eg.
incident wavelengths,
average daily temperature,
diurnal temperature range,
wind speed, relative
humidity etc.) which
favours the introduction
and development of new
species. Shading of the
woodland floor may favour
more shade-tolerant tree
species such as beech or
hornbeam.

Over much of England,


west Wales and southern
Scotland, the dominant
vegetation is mixed
deciduous woodland
dominated by oak with an
understorey of hazel,
hawthorn, lime, birch or
ash depending upon the
particular environmental
conditions. Ground flora
may include bracken, wood
anemones, common
bluebells and several grass
species.

Exposed Rock

Lichens and
Mosses

Horsetails and Legumes

Grasses, Ferns and


Brackens

Large shrubs, small trees

Light-demanding woodland

Climax Woodland

Ecological Succession

Fig 3. Succession from open water


Practice Questions (continued)

Open water with organic debris


Debris sinks and sediment begins to accumulate. The rate
of phytoplankton development is closely linked to the
nutrient (especially phosphate) content of the status of the
water.

(a) Suggest two abiotic factors which could slow


down colonisation at site 1.
(b) Which site is likely to have the greatest species
diversity?
Suggest an explanation for your answer.

Plankton and marginal aquatics


Algal population may build up rapidly. Submerged aquatic
plants develop near shallow edges. Death of algae and
submerged aquatics contributes to sediments and provides
nutrients and rooting medium. Insect diversity increases to
take advantage of the increasing number of niches.

(3 marks)
2. Explain how each of the following processes
contribute to succession:
(i) Weathering
(ii) Humus formation

Non- submerged aquatics, water lilies, reeds


The diversity of rooting species increases. Many have
creeping rhizomes which accelerate sediment entrapment.
Death of these organisms increases sediment which, under
anaerobic conditions forms peat. The original oligotrophic
(nutrient poor) lake is inevitably becoming a eutrophic
(nutrient enriched) lake. Invertebrate diversity increases.

(2 marks)
(2 marks)

Answers
1. (a) Salt concentration;
temperature fluctuations;
immersion;
winter availability.
(any two)

Sedge Fen
Sediment exposed during summer allow invasion of nonaquatic species. Sediments become drier and aquatics are
increasingly replaced. Sedges and tree species tolerant of
partly submerged conditions eg. alder begin to take over and
the species diversity of insect population may fall as those
species which require year-round access to water die out.
Fen wood
Alder, willows and sedges predominate. Alder is an nonleguminous nitrogen fixer and the nutrient content of soils
may increase, altering ground flora and fauna.

(b) Site 3;
Species diversity increases with
succession;
but at site 4 dominant vegetation may
outcompete ground/shrub species;
reducing diversity in site 4.
(any three)
2. (i) Decomposition of rock;
Increase soil depth/charges soil
composition/pH/mineral content;
Favouring new species;
(ii) Decomposition of organic matter;
Changes soil nutrient content/water
content;
Favouring new species.

Practice Questions
1. The figure shows a beach profile drawn by a student studying succession
15
10
5
Mean sea level

15
10
5
0

Site

pH

7.6

7.5

7.1

6.7

% organic matter

0.9

1.5

9.0

12.21

% vegetation matter

30

100

100

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