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  • Biology Lesson Two - Plant Succession

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    Olivia Lauterbach
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    Ecosystems can be disturbed directly by events like fires, floods and natural disasters, or indirectly by altering resources like light, water and habitat. Disturbances can be caused by natural events like meteor strikes or human activities. The frequency and severity of a disturbance affects whether it is beneficial or harmful. Some disturbances like controlled burns can increase soil nutrients and allow new habitats and seed germination. Disturbances cause ecological succession as one community gradually changes over time to a new dominant species composition. Primary succession occurs on new bare surfaces like after volcanoes, while secondary succession follows disruptions to existing communities from events that do not remove soil, like fires.

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    Succession biology notes

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    Biology Lesson two-- Plant Succession

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    Ecosystems can be disturbed directly by events like fires, floods and natural disasters, or indirectly by altering resources like light, water and habitat. Disturbances can be caused by natural events like meteor strikes or human activities. The frequency and severity of a disturbance affects whether it is beneficial or harmful. Some disturbances like controlled burns can increase soil nutrients and allow new habitats and seed germination. Disturbances cause ecological succession as one community gradually changes over time to a new dominant species composition. Primary succession occurs on new bare surfaces like after volcanoes, while secondary succession follows disruptions to existing communities from events that do not remove soil, like fires.

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    2 views2 pages

    Biology Lesson Two - Plant Succession

    Uploaded by

    Olivia Lauterbach
    Ecosystems can be disturbed directly by events like fires, floods and natural disasters, or indirectly by altering resources like light, water and habitat. Disturbances can be caused by natural events like meteor strikes or human activities. The frequency and severity of a disturbance affects whether it is beneficial or harmful. Some disturbances like controlled burns can increase soil nutrients and allow new habitats and seed germination. Disturbances cause ecological succession as one community gradually changes over time to a new dominant species composition. Primary succession occurs on new bare surfaces like after volcanoes, while secondary succession follows disruptions to existing communities from events that do not remove soil, like fires.

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    of 2

    Bio Lesson two

    Disturbances to ecosystems:
    Directly (killing organisms)
    Natural disturbances
    - Fires
    - Drought, flood, frost
    - Natural disasters (hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes)

    Indirectly
    - Altering availability of abiotic resources such as shelter, nutrients, light, water. Can
    be caused by natural disaster.
    - Dinosaurs: meteor strike caused lasting dust in the air blocking light, stopping
    photosynthesis
    - May change habitat to become more suitable for diff set of species

    Frequency and severity of disturbance can affect if the disturbance is good/bad

    Can be good: controlled burns to bring nutrients back into soil, new habitats can form, high
    temps can let some seeds germinate (being to sprout after period of dormancy)

    Disturbances cause succession: one species giving way to another and another,
    community of plants and animals gradually changes over time in an area.
    - First time animal/plant pop develops in a rocky area is primary succession
    Disturbance (natural or human made, minus volcano-- kills soil) can kill vegetation and
    animals, but community can rebound faster because there is still soil-- secondary succession

    Community of plants in area gradually changes over time, new animals follow

    Primary succession: the progress of changing from bare rock to an area with a dominant
    form of vegetation. Only occurs in an area where no previous community existed (no biotic
    [living] factors). Can now only be caused by volcanoes

    Pioneer species: the first organism to grow in


    barren landscape (eg. lichens)
    - Soil then develops as organic matter
    accumulate from decomposed pioneer
    species
    - Mosses replace PS and more
    complicated plants develop

    Secondary succession: when an existing


    natural community is disturbed by a natural or
    human made disaster (eg. forest fire). New
    plants and communities can form in much
    shorter time due to presence of soil. Can occur
    in vacant parking lots or abandoned farmland
    Primary succession Secondary succession

    Occurs in area where no previous plant life Occurs in area where plant life was
    occured disrupted/destroyed

    Begins w/ pioneer, simple spore producing Usually begins with vascular (can grow tall
    plants. because it can carry water up), seed
    producing plants (can grow faster and more
    successfully).

    Occurs over thousands of years Occurs over hundreds of years

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