Ecological Succession: Definition, Types, Characteristics, Causes - GeeksforGeeks (2023)

An environment creates and balances through the course of biological progression. It is a breakthrough in constructing the species from a long-term biological locus of apioneer communitywhich is first placed in a barren land for theculmination of community🇧🇷 Biologists have significant strengths in understanding how communities are structured and change over time. In fact, they invested tons of energy watching complex forest-like communities emerge from bare earth or exposed rock. For example, they examine travel destinations where volcanic eruptions, retreating ice sheets or forest fires have occurred, land has been cleared or rocks have been discovered. By focusing on these long-term fates, scientists have observed constant cycles of progress in ecological communities. In general, an emerging local area in a troubled region undergoes a progression of common movements, often over several years. This series of changes is called ecological succession.

Ecological succession is a series of changes in an ecological system over a period of time.

It can also be described as the sequence of colonization of species in an ecosystem of barren or barren land. Ecological succession is an extremely essential mode of development and improvement of an ongoing biological ecosystem in general. It also ensures that new regions are populated and degraded biological systems are repopulated so that living beings can finally adapt to the constant climate changes and continue to survive well.

The slow and moderate evolution of living organisms in a random region in relation to their changing environmental elements and ecological succession. An expected change is observing the biotic parts, climate being an inevitable part of them. Goals of ecological succession to achieve a balance in the environmental system. This is accomplished through a community called the Climax Community. In order to achieve this sign of harmony, the number of species is constantly changing. The region where the community undergoes a specific change is called the Sere. All of the communities that surround us have undergone environmental evolution since their reality was discerned. Development in this way is a process that occurs concurrently with ecological succession.

The two main types of ecological succession. The following stages of ecological succession are discussed below:

primary successor

It begins in an empty region that has never had any vegetation, with no living beings anywhere. Some significant regions discovered are newly discovered seabed, molten rock, sand ridges, newly cooled magma sediments, newly submerged regions, etc. Since there is no debris, these rocks have been separated by microorganisms and decomposed to frame the soil. This is a cycle called erosion. The soil then becomes the basis of vegetation. Most often, it takes a few hundred to 1,000 years to design a local biotic area based on foundation and environment. These plants help various creatures, evolving from primary ecosystem to climax community. The moment the primary ecosystem is erased, a secondary succession takes place.

secondary succession

It begins in regions that have somehow lost all living organic entities that existed there. Since there is some dirt or scum, the progress is faster. Forest fires, floods, avalanches, earthquakes, etc. can cleanse the vital biological system. After such an annihilation, the course of progression will follow in the future from the new natural conditions. Small plants emerge first, followed by larger plants. Tall trees block daylight and alter the structure of creatures under the rim. Finally, the Climax community comes into play. It takes fifty to a hundred years to complete a meadow and another hundred to two years to cultivate a forest.

cyclical sequence

It does this in a community by changing the makeup or structure of the biological system in a cyclic premise called cyclic succession. There are some plants that are dormant for most of the year but emerge at the same time. This can cause primary varieties in the environment.

Features of ecological succession

Ecological succession has the following characteristics:

• Ecological succession is a systematic process.
• It involves changes in the structure of species and also builds up species diversity.
• Succession occurs due to changes in the actual climate and population of the species.
• The ecological successions that occur are directed and take place as an element of time.
• It works in a stable environment.
• The number of inhabitants in the decaying parts becomes enormous.
• Progress is measurable.
• Simple food chains are being replaced by complex food chains.

serial community

A series community is a transitional phase of ecological succession to the climax community. An arid or seral community is represented as the movement of developmental stages of an ecological community from pioneer to climax. The series community is replaced by the successor community. It includes established food webs and food chains. It has an extremely low level of diversity. The species are less numerous and the complements are also smaller. The different types of series are mentioned below:

• Xerose: This succession occurs in arid areas such as Lithosera, Psammosera and Halosera rocks.
• Hydrosera: This type of succession begins in aquatic habitat and progresses from aquatic to mesic conditions.
• Lithosere: This type of ecological succession develops on exposed rock faces.
• Psammosis: This type of ecological succession begins in the sand.
• Halosere: Plant rotation starting in saline soil and saline water.
• Until then: This type of succession starts in a dead matter of microorganisms.
• Eosere: This type of succession shows the progress of vegetation over a period of time.

Stages of ecological succession

This interaction includes the following steps:

nudity

Vacant country development with almost no life. This may be due to some variables such as volcanic eruption, avalanches, floods, decay, seismic tremors, wildfires, disease spread, etc.

invasion or intrusion

It is the effective basis for animal categories in an arid region.

• The appearance of reproductive bodies or reproductive organs of different species and their settlement in the new or discovered region occurs through air, water, etc., which is known as migration.
• The change in disposition of species with framework conditions is referred to as ecesis.
• At this point, then, the single species doubles by reproduction and increases in number; This is called aggregation.

competition and coercion

After aggregation, the number of animal groups competes with other different species for food, space, and various goods. Intra- and interspecific competition takes place together with climate cooperation. There is a new invasion of plants and living beings.

Reaction

The change in climate caused by the influence of living beings on the climate is called a reaction.

stabilization

The stage at which the maximum or maximum local area equilibrates appropriately over a long period of time in that particular climate is called stabilization.

Causes of ecological succession

There are three main types of causes for environmental progression. These are the following:

• initial causes: These causes include both biotic and climatic causes. It has factors like decay or erosion, wind, fire, catastrophic events, etc. These causes have a strong impact on the population in that area.
• Ecesis or external causes:These causes are also called processes with causes. These can change the population to adapt to some climate conditions. It contains some elements like aggregation, competition, reallocation, etc.
• climatic cause:It has some variables like idea of ​​climatic state of zone, fertility of land and richness of mineral availability etc.

Examples of ecological succession

Examples of ecological succession are:

• Ecological Succession of Coral Reefs:Small coral developments colonize the rocks. These polyps develop and open to form coral colonies. The condition of the coral reefs attracts small fish and shellfish that serve as food for larger fish. In this way, an all-round usable coral reef is framed.
• the tropical forestsThey are examples of secondary succession, where forests have been cleared for timber and rural needs. The recovery here was done at different speeds and it took a lot of time for a local area to fully recover.
• Acadia National Park:This national park faced a feared wildfire that spread quickly. Restoring the forest has been left in the hands of Mother Nature. In the years that followed, only small plants developed in the scorched earth. After some time, the forests showed a variety of tree species. In any event, trees before the fire were generally evergreen, while trees that developed after the fire were deciduous.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: Why is ecological succession important?

Respondent:

The importance of ecological succession is as follows:

(Video) Ecological Succession-Primary and Secondary

• Shows the method of grouping biotic progression. Biologists can quickly see the serial phase of a biotic community in space.
• It helps to know data on the methods to be used in reforestation and afforestation.
• Information about biotic progression is used to prevent the development of dominance in a space and to control the development of at least one animal species.
• Safety of the dam, prevention of sedimentation and biotic succession.

Question 2: What types of successor communities are there?

Respondent:

There are three main types of successor communities:

• pioneer communityis the one who comes first in an unsuccessful or vacant region. Some of them are stone lichens, phytoplankton and zooplankton in lakes. They can survive in the most antagonistic climate.
• culmination of communityit is the last community of biotic succession, something constant and in harmony with the climate of that region, called the climate community. For example forests.
• Transitional or serial communitiesthey are the ones who follow the pioneer community. Incorporate mosses, herbs, shrubs in xerosisre, recessed, floating, etc. in lakes. They are the ones who contribute the most to the development of a stable community.

Question 3: What is Sere and its types?

Respondent:

The whole set of communities that occur in biotic succession is called a sera. A series community is a transitional phase of ecological succession to the climax community. An arid or seral community is represented as the movement of developmental stages of an ecological community from pioneer to climax. It consists of simple food chains and food webs. The different types of series are mentioned below:

1. Xerose
2. Hydrosera
3. Lithosere
4. Psammosis
5. Halosere
6. Until then
7. Eosere

Question 4: Difference between primary and secondary succession?

Respondent:

Here is the difference between primary and secondary sequences:

Withinprimary successor, the event takes place in sleepy or desolate regions. Some examples are exposed rocks, lakes, deserts, etc. Soil is absent early in primary succession and the climate is not suited to support typical life forms. Moderately slow, lasting about millennia or more. The primary succession is considerably more difficult to identify than the secondary succession. while insecondary successionOccurs in regions that have been recently settled. Examples are natural disasters, covert logging, etc. Soil is available early in secondary succession for certain life forms. Moderately fast, lasting about fifty to two hundred years, easy to notice.

(Video) Ecological Succession and Its Types

Question 5: What are the different stages of ecological succession?

Respondent:

The steps of the mechanism involved in the process of ecological succession are as follows:

• Nudity: Development of bare or desolate areas devoid of any form of life.
• Invasion: establishment of a species in an arid area.
• Competition and coercion: Species compete with other organisms for food, space, and other resources.
• Response: Change in environment.
• Stabilization: The last phase in which the community becomes stable.

Question 6: What is autogenous and allogeneic inheritance?

respondents:

• autogenous succession:Once biotic succession begins, current vegetation is blamed for its own replacement by new communities as current natural conditions change. This course is called autogenous succession.
• allogeneic succession:In allogeneic succession, the current community is displaced by other external conditions rather than the existing vegetation itself.

Question 7: Name a real event of ecological succession.

Respondent:

The volcanic island of Surtsey lies off the coast of Iceland. In 1963 this island was created by emissions from the lava spring. After the ejection, the ground in particular trembled. Organisms and forms began to evolve in the stone. They began separating the stone to form the floor. Then the small herbs begin to bloom and develop. Later, more modest bushes begin to develop. The small creatures in the tunnels moved to disturb the soil as larger plants developed. After some time, trees begin to bloom and develop where there was only stone.