110 likes | 336 Views
Succession. Succession – the orderly natural changes and species replacements that take place in the communities of an ecosystem Takes a long time, not easily observable Occurs in stages. Primary Succession.
E N D
Succession • Succession – the orderly natural changes and species replacements that take place in the communities of an ecosystem • Takes a long time, not easily observable • Occurs in stages
Primary Succession • From a disturbance, such as rocks moving to expose new soil starts Primary succession. • Pioneer species set up such as mosses and lichens • As these species die, they create soil for further species • Shrubs, ferns, grasses come next • Pines, beeches and maples colonize after that • When the community stabilizes, a climax community is established • How can you tell?
Secondary Succession • Occurs when interrupted by natural disasters or human actions • Occurs in areas that previously contained life and soil. • Pioneer species maybe different since the soil is already present • Occurs by the same process as primary succession. • Takes less time • Why?
Biomes • Ecosystems that have similar kinds of climax communities are called Biomes. • Biomes are limited by temperature and precipitation (terrestrial types) • There are two major types of biomes • Aquatic (those in the water, sea) (3/4 of the Earth) • Terrestrial (those on land)
Marine Biomes • Estuary – coastal body of water, in part surrounded by land where freshwater and saltwater mix. • Scientists separate marine biomes into two parts: • Photic Zone : portion of the biome shallow enough to allow light through • Plankton, juvenile marine organisms • Aphotic zone : deeper water where light cannot penetrate • Adapted to life in the dark.
Terrestrial Biomes - Tundra • Tundra – Circles the poles, treeless with long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight • Under the topsoil is a frozen part called permafrost. • Soil is nutrient poor and can’t hold larger plants & trees • Small mammals live there like owls and lemmings
Taiga • Taiga – just south of the tundra • Warmer than the Tundra, land of fir & spruce trees • Canada, Northern Europe & Asia • Contains larger species like Caribou, snowshoe hare
Desert • Desert – driest biome with sparse plant life • Less than 25 cm of precipitation • Organisms have adapted to conserve water (mice, scorpions, snakes, owls, etc)
Grassland • Grasslands – covered by grasses and similarly small plants • 25 – 75 cm of precipitation • Occupies more area than any other land biome • Good for growing crops • Dominated by grazing animals (bison)
Temperate Forest • Temperate Forest – above and below the equator • Nutrient rich soil with Hardwood trees • 70 to 150 cm of precipitation • Home to many forest animals (bears, squirrels, salamanders)
Tropical Rain Forest • Tropical Rain Forest – located at the equator • Warm and wet with lush plant growth • Average 25C, with 200-600 cm of rain • Home to the most amount of species on the planet • Has many niches due to the layers of the rainforest (forest floor, trees, canopy, etc)