What is ecological succession quizlet?

What is ecological succession quizlet?

Ecological succession is the natural, gradual and orderly change in an environment. It is the gradual replacement of one plant community by another through natural processes over time.

What are successional species?

A species of tree that replaces a more shade-intolerant pioneer or other successional tree species in a forest. The seedlings of a successional species can grow in the shaded understory and mature into the dominant species.

What are the characteristics of climax community?

Features of climax communities they have moderate conditions, also called mesic conditions. They have high species diversity, and transfer of energy is in the form of complex food webs, not simple food chains. The size of organisms in the community is large, and they all have their specific niches.

What type of succession ends in a climax community?

A climax community refers to a stable ecosystem in its final stage of ecological succession. In a climax community, the plants and animals are in balance with each other and their environment. It remains this way unless destroyed or disrupted, as by a fire.

What is the final stable community that is made up of mature hardwood trees called?

They also thought that the end result of succession was a stable, unchanging final state called a climax community, largely determined by an area’s climate. For instance, in the example above, the mature oak and hickory forest would be the climax community.

What are pioneer or early successional species?

Pioneer species are hardy species which are the first to colonize barren environments or previously biodiverse steady-state ecosystems that have been disrupted, such as by fire. Some lichens grow on rocks without soil, so may be among the first of life forms, and break down the rocks into soil for plants.

What are early successional species?

Songbirds, turkey, grouse, deer, rabbit, bear, fox, native bees and many more species are drawn to old fields, thickets, and young forest where there is an abundance of flowering plants, browse, insects and soft mast (fruit).

What is a stable community?

A stable community is one in which the size of the populations of all species remain relatively constant over time. The different populations are living in a healthy balance with their environment.

What term is used to describe the final stable community at the end of a succession?

A climax community refers to a stable ecosystem in its final stage of ecological succession. In a climax community, the plants and animals are in balance with each other and their environment.

Why is climax community stable?

It is the climax community that is most stable since the species that comprise it, which are the dominant late successional species, are least affected by gradual changes in the physical environment unlike the communities with lower stability.

Which type of succession is sometimes referred to as old field succession?

Old field succession. A type of secondary succession that occurs when farmland is abandoned. When a farmer stops cultivating in a field, grasses and weeds quickly grow and cover the abandoned land. Over time, taller plants, such as perennial grasses, shrubs, and trees take over the area.

Why does secondary succession take less time than primary succession?

Explanation: Secondary succession usually occurs faster than primary succession because the substrate is already present. In primary succession, there is no soil and it needs to form. This process takes time, as pioneer species must colonize the area, they must die, and as this happens over and over again, soil forms.

Which is an example of an end community of succession?

This is a stable, end community of succession that is capable of self-perpetuation under the prevailing environmental conditions. This is the interaction of two organisms where one is helped and the other is neither helped nor harmed. This occurs when 2 or more organisms or populations in a community rely or need similar limiting resources.

Where is energy stored in an end community of succession?

Energy stored in chemical bonds of molecules. This is a stable, end community of succession that is capable of self-perpetuation under the prevailing environmental conditions. This is the interaction of two organisms where one is helped and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

How does a change in habitat affect the rate of succession?

These changes allow other species that are better suited to this modified habitat to succeed the old species. These newer species are superseded, in turn, by still newer species. A similar succession of animal species occurs, and interactions between plants, animals, and environment influence the pattern and rate of successional change.

Is the sequential progression of species during succession random?

The sequential progression of species during succession, however, is not random. At every stage certain species have evolved life histories to exploit the particular conditions of the community. This situation imposes a partially predictable sequence of change in the species composition of communities during succession.