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Plant Physiology and Ecology

BOTN2112
Lecture-31

Muhammad Javed
Department of Botany
University of Education, Lahore
Campus Dera Ghazi Khan

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 PLANT SUCCESSION
• The process of community development is
called succession
• Community changes alter the ecosystem
• This change favors the competitors
• Thus the species replace one another
• Finally a stable, self sustaining and climax
community is reached
• Succession is a kind of community relay

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• In this case plants and animals replace one
another in a sequence
• That sequence is predictable
• The diverse and precise changes occur during
succession
• These changes take place according to
changes in the environment in which
succession occurs
• Certain general stages of succession can be
easily recognized
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• Each succession begins by a few hardy
invaders called pioneers
• Succession ends with a diverse and relatively
stable climax community
• A community in which population of different
species remain uniform is called climax
community

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 XEROXERE
• The succession that occurs in dry condition is
called xerosere
• It undergoes following stages;
Crustose lichen stage
Foliose and fruticose lichen stage
Moss stage
Herbaceous stage
Shrub stage
Climax stage
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 CRUSTOSE LICHEN STAGE
• Crustose is a land lifeless structure
• It is bare rock
• It consists of solid surface or very large
boulders
• It has no place for penetration of roots of
plants
• The crustose may have an external protective
layer surface on the rock
• Special type of lichens can grow on these
rocks called crustose lichens
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• Its most common examples are Rhizocorpon,
Rhinodina and Lecanorana
• Air brings propagules of these lichens
• Thalli of crustose lichens can adhere to the
surface of rock
• They absorb moisture from atmosphere and
grow on this bare rock
• These lichens can live in extreme conditions

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• Sometimes, their surfaces become wet due to
rain and dew drops
• They absorb water during dry season
• These lichens produce acids
• These acids cause weathering of the rocks
• These lichens then die
• Their thalli are decomposed to produced
humus
• It prepares the soil for next stage
• This soil is now suitable for growth of foliose
lichens
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 FOLIOSE AND FRUTICOSE LICHEN
STAGE
• Now habitat is suitable for foliose and
fruticose lichens
• Foliose lichens are leaf like
• Fruticose lichens are small bush like
• They are attached at one point only
• Therefore, they do not cover the soil
completely
• Their examples are Parmelia and
Dermaticarpo
• They can absorb and retain more water 10
• Thus they accumulate more dust particles
• They produce shade on crustose lichens
• As a result, growth of the crustose lichens is
reduced
• They make the soil acidic
• Humus is added to it
• It makes the rock rough
• The shallow depressions in the rocks and
crevices are filled with soil
• The substratum is suitable for the growth of
mosses 11
 MOSS STAGE
• The soil becomes more porous
• Litter of lichens is added in it
• Thus at this stage moss plants invade the area
• The examples of mosses are Polytrichum and
Tortula
• The mosses compete with lichens for water
• They are penetrated much deeper in the soil
as compare to the lichens
• The lichens die
• Thus more humus is added to the soil
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• Minerals are combined with this humus
• The bodies of mosses are rich in organic and
inorganic compounds
• These compounds are added to the soil on
their death
• Mosses are developed in small patches
• Soil particles from air are deposited between
these patches
• It increases the substratum
• The environment is now suitable for
herbaceous plants
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 HERBACEOUS STAGE
• The soil has a large amount of humus and litter
• Thus its water holding capacity is increased
• Thus there is more availability of moisture,
humus and soil anchorage
• The herbaceous plants are now established here
• These plants increase the process of weathering
• Evaporation and transpiration take place
• It reduces the temperature
• Now bacteria, fungi and other animals are
established here
• Some xerophytic grasses are also established here
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 SHRUB STAGE
• Soil conditions now become favorable for
shrubs
• Now shrubs start to grow
• They become dense
• They produce shade on herbs, so the herbs
die
• Thus the herbaceous plants add more humus
to the soil
• The roots of shrubs penetrate into soil
• They develop wide cracks in rocks
• The process of soil formation continues 15
 CLIMAX STAGE
• The soil is much improved now
• So it allows the growth and establishment of
woody plants
• These plants are densely rooted
• The shade of these plants inhibits the growth of
most plants
• Woody plants dominate in this stage
• This stage essentially remains the same if nothing
changes in the environment to upset the balance
• It is stable stage in succession
• Thus the woody forest is the climax stage for the
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Fig. Different stages of xerosere

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