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Succession. How do communities change over time? Do ecosystems return to “normal” following a disturbance?. Ecological Succession. Predictable changes that occur in a community over time. Sometimes ecosystems die out, like in a natural disaster New ecosystems and species begin.
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Succession How do communities change over time? Do ecosystems return to “normal” following a disturbance?
Ecological Succession • Predictable changes that occur in a community over time. • Sometimes ecosystems die out, like in a natural disaster • New ecosystems and species begin
Primary Succession • Create new land, or sterilize existing areas. • Begins in an area with no remnants of an older community • Glacial Retreat • Volcano
Pioneer Species • The first species to colonize a barren area. • After they establish a settlement, other species move in to the area • Examples • Lichen • Some types of grass • They help to make a useful environment for other animals
Secondary Succession • Happens faster than Primary Succession • Soil left behind • Wildfire • Hurricane
After Natural Disturbances • Often the original community is returned to it’s environment after disturbances such as hurricanes, and wildfires • Some communities are disturbed so often by storms or deforestation that they never return fully to their original community • Ecosystems may or may not always fully recover from human disturbances • Clearing and farming can sometime change the natural environment’s soil so much that it never recovers