Ecological Succession

>Watchable Wildlife >Tips for Success Ecology Wildlife Species Sponsors Watchable Wildlife.org Pure Michigan The following pages provide brief introductions to some very important ecological concepts. By reviewing these fun, interactive pages (and testing your skill and knowledge with a…

By Daniel Peterson I often see new landscapes that look great immediately after installation, and continue to thrive for five to ten years. Beyond those five to ten years, I find that a majority of landscapes, especially the plantings, look tired, thin, and lacking in vitality. When I first started working…

What is ecosystem succession? How do biomass, productivity and biodiversity change during succession? Succession is the process of ecosystem recovery after some disturbance. Biomass is at maximum in the undisturbed ecosystem; it increases up to this maximum during succession. Plant productivity also…

1. Describe the difference between primary and secondary succession. A: Primary succession occurs in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier. Secondary occurs on substrate that previously supported vegetation…

Everything You ll Have Covered Describe the process of ecological succession. ~ First, lichens, which grow on rock, appear in a destroyed region. The lichens help break down the rock. Then, as lichens die and decompose, and weathering breaks apart rock, soil begins to form. As soil becomes richer, small…

Introduction Professor Ralph Slatyer was interviewed in 1993 for the Interviews with Australian scientists series. By viewing the interviews in this series, or reading the transcripts and extracts, your students can begin to appreciate Australia s contribution to the growth of scientific knowledge. The…

The saguaro cactus is part of a climax desert community in southwestern America. Desert biomes, defined by low annual precipitation, cover one-fifth of the planet. Under the umbrella term desert are some of the hottest and coldest places on Earth. Precipitation can vary among deserts as well, from arid…

Ecological succession is the gradual process by which ecosystems change and develop over time. For example, a bare patch of ground will not stay bare. It will rapidly be colonized by a variety of plants. A recently cleared patch of ground (in Britain). The same ground 2 years later, now covered in grasses…

Photo by: Galina Barskaya Succession is a process of ecological change in which a series of natural communities are established and then replaced over time. Ecologists (scientists who study the relationships of organisms with their living and nonliving environment) generally recognize two kinds of succession…