ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION

Prof :DEEPAK SAINI HOD ZOOLOGY

J.C.D.A.V. College ,Dasuya
 Primary succession: The gradual establishment,
through stages, of a climax ecosystem, that has
not been occupied before.
Primary succession will occur
after a volcanic eruption
Primary succession occurs after a
glacier retreats

Image source: http://www.callipygia600.com/

Primary succession occurs after a
glacier retreats
 Communities Change
 Ecological Succession: the gradual change in
species composition of a given area over time
 Species do change spatially within an area at a
certain point in time, this is zonation not
succession
 2 Types depending on start point
 Primary succession: gradual establishment of
biological communities on lifeless ground
 Secondary succession: reestablishment of biotic
communities in an area where they already existed
Primary succession occurs after a
glacier retreats
Glacier Bay, Alaska
 Secondary succession: The reestablishment,
through stages, of a climax ecosystem, that has
been cleared by natural or human means.
Secondary Succession: A bare
patch of ground covered in
grasses two years later
 Secondary Succession
 When natural vegetation has been
disturbed, removed or destroyed.
Abandoned farms
Burned forests
Heavy pollution
Deforestation
A huge storm
 Some Definitions:
 Sere: Another name for succession. A set of stages
of evolution of an ecosystem.

 Pioneer stage: First stage in a sere which is

dominated by opportunist species.

 Climax community: Populations of organisms

living together in the climax stage.

 Climax stage: Final stage in a sere where all

species are in balance. For example: A mature
forest
Pioneer Species
 Short life
Small adult span
size

Rapid
reproduction
Long
Many small distance
seeds dispersal

Habitat patchy

Habitat
temporary
High density
independent mortality

 Pioneer species tend to be r-strategists

Climax Species tend to be
K-strategists
 K - strategists
Large life
Large adult span
size

Successful
seeding
establishment
Few large Dispersal rare
seeds local

Habitat uniform

Large adult
size
High density
dependent mortality
Sequoia (redwood) trees are K-strategists
 Lithosere: Succession on land
 The evolution of bare ground to forest.

Pioneer species……………………………………Climax forest

 Hydrosere:
Succession of
ponds and
lakes to
forests.
 Describe the changes
that you see.
 Hydrosere:
 The gradual conversion of ponds and lakes to forest
ecosystems.

 With time ponds and lakes are gradually filled with

eroded sediments.

 The sediments moves in the shorelines and

eventually fills in the lake.

 The plant sequence is as follows: lake plants, reeds,

grasses, shrubs, & trees.
 Succession along a beach:
 The gradual conversion of sandy beaches and
desert margins to forest.

 Wind moves sand into dunes

 Organic material, seeds, and moisture are blown in

behind the dune.

 Hardy salt tolerant grasses and vines establish

themselves trapping more soil.

 Plant succession follows the lithosere.

Succession along a beach:
Succession
along
Lake
Michigan
 Halosere:
 The gradual
conversion or
reclamation of
a salt flat to
forest.

 Salt resistant
grass species
move in.
Halosere:
 Grass traps
organic matter
and seeds
 soil quality
(nutrients) are
improved.
 Halosere:
 Plant cover traps
moisture, causing salt
to seep into the
ground.
 Plant succession
follows the lithosere.
Be able to describe and explain
the changes during succession.
Exposed Lichens
rocks and mosses

Balsam fir,
paper birch, and
Jack pine, white spruce
black spruce, climax community
Heath mat and aspen
Small herbs
and shrubs

Time
 Pioneer Communities
 Lichens and Mosses
 Survive on nutrients in
dust and rock
 Start soil formation
1. Trap small particles
2. Produce organic material -
photosynthesis
3. Chemically weather the
rock
4. Patches of soil form
Seral Stages: Early Successional
Plant Species
 Small perennial grasses
and herbs colonize, wind
blown seeds
1. Grow close to the ground
2. Est. large pop. quickly in
harsh conditions
3. Short lived
4. Break down rock
 Seral Stages: Mid to Late
Successional Species
 After 100’s of years
soil deep enough
 Moisture & nutrients
 Also called Seral
Community
1. Shrubs then trees
colonize
2. Trees create shade
3. Shade tolerant
species establish
 Climax community
 Characterized by K-selected species
 Determined by
 climate in the area – temperature, weather patterns
 Edaphic factors – saturated wet, mesic, arid
 Climax community structure is in stable equilibrium
for each area
 Humans & other factors may maintain an
equilibrium below climax
 E.g. current warming trends make climax rainforest
communities w/ softer wood, faster growing species
 What changes occur through
Succession?
1. Diversity
 Starts very low in harsh conditions few species
tolerate – r selected species types
 Middle succession mix of various species types –
most diverse (role of disturbance)
 Climax – k selected species strong competitors
dominate
2. Mineral Cycling
• Pioneer, physical breakdown & make organic,
Later processing increase – cycles expand
3. Gross productivity changes (total photosynthesis)
• Pioneer = Low density of producers at first
• Middle & climax = high  lots of producers and
consumers
4. Net Productivity (G – R = N)
• Pioneer = little respiration so Net is large  system is
growing, biomass accumulating
• Middle & climax = respiration increases dramatically
 N approaches zero (P:R = 1)
5. Energy flow
• # of trophic levels increases over time
• Energy lost as heat increases with more transfers
 Factors in Succession
1. Facilitation
• One species makes an area suitable for another in a different
niche
• Legumes add nitrogen so other plants thrive
2. Inhibition
• Early species hinder establishment and growth of later species
 more disturbance needed to continue
• Allelopathy by plants is an example
3. Tolerance
• Late successors not affected by earlier ones
• Explains mixture of species in Climax Communities
Hydrosere
 Xerosere
 Xerosere is a plant succession which occurs in
conditions limited by water availability or the
different stages in a xerarch succession.
 Xerarch succession of ecological communities
originated in extremely dry situation such as sand
deserts, sand dunes, salt deserts, rock deserts etc.
 A xerosere may include lithoseres and
psammoseres.
 Psammoseres
 In geography, a psammosere is a sand sere - an
environment of sand substratum on which ecological
succession occurs.
 In a typical succession on a sea-coast psammosere, the
organisms closest to the sea will be salt tolerant species
such as littoral algae and glasswort. Progressing inland the
succession is likely to include meadow grass, sea purslane,
and sea lavender eventually grading into a typical non-
maritime terrestrial eco-system.
 www.sanddunes.20m.com/Evolution%20.htm

 Changes during succession
 Pioneer species: lichens and mosses that extract
nutrients from dust and bare rock.
 Then: Bacteria, fungi, insects, small worms add
organics to the soil
 Early succession plants: grasses, herbs
 Midsuccessional plants: grass and low scrubs
 Late successional plants: trees
 Climax community: depends largely on climate
and edaphic factors
 Climatic factors
 Precipitation

 Temperature

 Insolation (Incoming Solar Radiation)

 Edaphic Factors
Factors having limiting affects on plant growth that
are not climatic. Soil Factors
Examples:
Alkalinity of soil
Extreme acidity
Iron toxicity
Zinc deficiency
Low nutrients in soil
 Rate of Primary Succession
 Primary succession is fastest in humid
tropics.

 It is slowest in the dry polar areas.

 Why?
 Succession
after a forest
fire
Secondary Succession after a fire
 Nutrient release to soil
 Regrowth by remnant roots and seeds
 Invasions from neighboring
ecosystems
 Rapid restoration of energy flow and
nutrient cycling
 Secondary
succession
after
farming
 Changes during succession
Biomass increases
 Resource allocation; nutrients initially
stored in soils become stored in
vegetation.
Mineral cycling slows
 Changes in Energy Flow
 Trophic levels increase from 2 levels to 4 -5
levels.
 More trophic levels transfer more energy.
 Food webs become more complex.
 The total productivity of an ecosystem
increases.
 Biomass and biodiveristy is maximized in a
climax ecosystem.
Changes in Productivity
 Abiotic
Changes
pH: 8  5.5
N: increases
C: increases
Exchangeable
ions decrease
Know the factors affecting the
nature of climax communities.
 The Nature of climax
communities.
 The system is in a stable equilibrium

 Remember the system is open

 Matter and energy may cross system boundary.
 Inputs are in proportion to outputs.

 The system changes less thus keeping habitats

intact over time.
 The Climax Community:
 Specialization is encouraged as all niches are
occupied.

 Each species must enhance competitive

abilities and take care of young.

 High nutrients available (but used) due to

large amounts of biomass.

 High moisture available as forests capture

their own transpiration and encourage rain.
 Climax Community:
 Mineralized nutrients (Nitrogen) increases.
 Organic matter in the soil increases
 Mineral cycling decreases as plants are
adapted to maintaining themselves and not
growing or establishing themselves.
 These nutrients become less available to
plants as they adhere to soil particles or are
stored as dead matter in ground.
Compare early to late succession
 Biomass
 Productivity
 Food chains
 Species diversity
 Niche specialization
 Feeding relationships
 Size of individuals
 Life cycles
 Population control mechanisms
 Fluctuation
 Mineral cycles
 Stability
 Early succession Late succession
Biomass small High
Productivity high Low
Food chains Short Long, complex
Species diversity Low High
Niche specialization Broad Narrow
Feeding relationships General Specialized
Size of individuals Smaller Larger?
Life cycles Short Long
Population
control mechanisms Physical Biological
Fluctuation More Less pronounced
Mineral cycles Open Tend to be closed
Stability Low High