IB ESS

Plagioclimax Approaches to plagioclimax Secondary succession Changes in productivity

In many areas, the human activity that deflects the climax
community occurs regularly, so the natural climax community does
not have time to reform & a new community of species develops. A
long-term balance between succession & human activities that
maintain many plagioclimax communities produce habitats that do
not appear to change, e.g., grassland, lowland heathland, &
moorland. Conservation of climax communities such as natural
rainforest, coral reefs, mangroves & Antarctica typically takes the
approach of minimal human impact. However, in the UK,
conservation management of plagioclimax communities is usually
through maintenance of the traditional activities that created them.
Biotic factors
If the human activity that produced a plagioclimax stops, then
secondary succession will eventually re-establish the climax community.
So, if the conservation of species that lives in a plagioclimax community
is the main conservation priority then it will the activities that
maintained the plagioclimax must be continued
Population regulation
The number of individuals of a species that live in an area is
Unit 2.4(g) – 2o succession &Plagioclimax
controlled by a balance of factors which tend to increase or
reduce the population. Population will increase if
reproduction rate is high & the death rate is low. The
& Populations
population will decline if the reproduction rate is low and the
death rate is high. Successful wildlife conservation maximises
the factors that increase the population while minimising the
factors that reduce it. The environmental factors that affect
the death rate can be controlled by good environmental
management. The reproduction rate depends upon the
species’ natural breeding rate.
 Lowland heathland - Grazing or
burning
 Hay meadow - Mowing
 Wet meadow - Grazing
 Upland moorland - Grazing or burning
 Arable field - Ploughing
 Garden lawn - Mowing
 Coppiced woodland - Felling at
intervals of 8 to 20 years.
 Reed beds - Mowing or cutting
Plagioclimax
The greatest population that an area can support indefinitely
without damaging or over-exploiting the environment.
Mortality rate in a population changes if the population size is
above or below the carrying capacity, so that the population
size changes back to the carrying capacity.
 Activities such as tree felling, ploughing, & burning,  Primary productivity varies with time – low at first
recreate conditions that were suitable for the species
 Climax community – productivity levels off as energy fixed
that colonised the area earlier in the sequence of
by producers is approx.. = to rate at which energy is being
succession.
used in respiration & emitted as heat
 These species recolonise the area. If the habitat is left
 GPP is low at start – few plants
alone, succession will continue to change and will
 Energy lost by respiration also low so NP high
eventually re-create the climax community. This is
 Later stages – increased producer, consumer &
secondary succession.
decomposer community, GPP rises to max in climax
 More rapid than primary succession - the soil does not
community. Balanced by high resp. rates especially by
have to develop & many seeds are already be present
decomposers so NPP close to zero & productivity: P:R ratio
so fewer delays caused by the time taken for species
close to 1.
to colonise.
 During succession, GPP tends to increase through pioneer
 In extreme environments dominated by abiotic factors
& early stages and then decrease as the climax community
& where populations are likely to fluctuate
reaches maturity. This increase in productivity is linked to
dramatically, species diversity is often low.
growth & biomass.
 Where few food species are available, a change in the
 Early stages are marked by rapid growth & biomass
availability of one food species has a significant effect
accumulation – grasses, herbs & small shrubs. GPP is low
on the number of predators. This will then impact the
but NPP tends to be a large proportion of GPP as with little
availability of the food species, creating cycles of
biomass in the early stages, respiration is low.
population rise and fall.
 As the community develops towards woodland & biomass
increases so does productivity. But NPP as % of GPP can
fall as respiration rate increases with more biomass.
 Standing crop (biomass) in succession to deciduous
woodland reaches a peak within the first few centuries.
Following establishment of mature climax forest, biomass
Carrying capacity
tends to fall as trees age, growth slows & an extended
canopy crowds out ground cover. Older trees are less
photosynthesis efficient & more NPP is allocated to non-
photosynthesis structural biomass such as root systems.

The changes over time
* R-selected species - can respond rapidly to low survival rates. They reach sexual
maturity quickly, produce many young and can disperse widely. Mature early; Little
parental care; Little investment in offspring; Adapted to unstable environments;
Pioneers, colonizers; Niche generalists; Prey; Regulated mainly by external factors;
Lower trophic levels; E.g. mice, locusts and greenfly, annual plants, flour beetles,
bacteria.
Disturbance
Communities are affected by periods of disturbance e.g. flood, fire,
landslides, earthquakes, hurricanes & other natural hazards.
All of these have an effect of making gaps available that can be colonized
by pioneer species. This adds to the the productivity and diversity of the
community.

* K-selected species - recover slowly from a decline in population & usually reach
sexual maturity at an older age, produce few young, often live for a long time.
Increase in the death rate may cause a population crash. The low reproduction rate
may make it impossible to replace the losses. Long life; slower growth; late maturity;
fewer large offspring; High parental care & protection; high investment in individual
offspring; adapted to stable environment; later stages of succession; niche
specialuists; predators; regulated mainly bu internal factors; higher trophic levels;
E.g. Include whales, elephants, rhinos.trees, albatrosses, humans