Succession Vocab

Front

Organic material from rock breakdown, providing minerals and nutrients for plants.

Back

Soil

Front

Occurs where a community has been removed by disturbance (farming, fire, flood); starts with soil; faster than primary succession.

Back

Secondary succession

Front

Series of events forming a stable ecosystem in lifeless areas, starting with no soil, as rock breaks down and soil forms, leading to a climax community if undisturbed. Takes a long time.

Back

Primary succession

Front

First organisms in primary succession: mosses or lichens.

Back

Pioneer species.

Front

Final stage of succession where plant/animal populations are stable and balanced until disturbed.

Back

Climax community

Front

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment affecting living organisms: air, water, rocks, etc.

Back

abiotic factors

Front

Life; living organisms

Back

Biotic factors

Front

Ability of a natural system to self-regulate and return to a steady state after disturbance.

Back

stability

Front

A community of living organisms and their nonliving environment interacting as a system.

Back

ecosystem

Front

Distinct communities of organisms in large areas: deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands.

Back

Biome