Succession
I. Introduction
Ecosystem succession, also called "ecological succession," is the process through which a
natural community of plants and animals changes after a disturbance. It is generally understood
tha
...
Succession
I. Introduction
Ecosystem succession, also called "ecological succession," is the process through which a
natural community of plants and animals changes after a disturbance. It is generally understood
that ecological succession is a progressive movement towards the most stable community (also
called a "climax community"). It involves the processes of colonization, establishment, and
extinction which act on the participating plant species. Most successions contain a number of
stages that can be recognized by the collection of species that dominate at that point in the
succession. Succession begins when an area is made partially or completely devoid of vegetation
because of a disturbance. Some common mechanisms of disturbance are fires, wind storms,
volcanic eruptions, logging, climate change, severe flooding, disease, and pest infestation.
Succession stops when species composition changes no longer occur with time, and this
community is said to be a climax community (W2).
The concept of a climax community assumes that the plants colonizing and establishing
themselves in a given region can achieve stable equilibrium. The idea that succession ends in the
development of a climax community has had a long history in the fields of biogeography and
ecology. One of the earliest proponents of this idea was Frederic Clements who studied
succession at the beginning of the 20th century. However, beginning in the 1920s scientists
began refuting the notion of a climax state. By 1950, many scientists began viewing succession
as a phenomenon that rarely attains equilibrium. The reason why equilibrium is not reached is
related to the nature of disturbance. Disturbance acts on communities at a variety of spatial and
temporal scales. Further, the effect of disturbance is not always 100 percent. Many disturbances
remove only a part of the previous plant community. As a result of these new ideas, plant
communities are now generally seen as being composed of numerous patches of various size at
different stages of successional development. This kind of succession is the manner through
which natural communities respond to disturbances and changes. The three main types of
ecological succession are primary, secondary and cyclical succession (W2).
II. Discussion
Primary Succession
[Show More]
.png)
