SUCCESSION

Changes in the environment

Disturbances:Events that change a communityCan alter resourcesCan destroy or remove organisms

Stability:The ability of a community to resist disturbancesThe greater the biodiversity, the greater the stability

Ecological Succession:Gradual sequential changes of a communityCan be primary or secondary

Primary Succession:The start of a community in a place where there was no lifeExamples: a new island forms or a volcanic eruption covers a community with lava

Pioneer species are the first organisms to live in a new area

Pioneer species are small, hardy, and grow quickly

Primary succession is a very slow process!

Secondary Succession:Occurs after a disturbance, either natural or man-made

In secondary succession, soil remains and some

species are able to survive. This type of succession is much faster. It may only take 100 years in some cases.

Climax Communities:The stable endpoint of successionThere is very little change