Succession

Succession

Today you will learn how an ecosystem can go back to equilibrium after a disturbance has occurred thanks to primary and secondary succession.

Open Ended

Let's say that a forest fire destroys an area...how do you think that ecosystem would be able to thrive once again?

Video

https://youtu.be/uqEUzgVAF6g

(Look Up Amoeba Sisters Ecological Succession Video If you Cannot Copy and Past the Link)

Causes Primary Succession

• No soil or soil cannot sustain life

• Caused by disturbances such as lava flows, re-treating glacier, oil spills, land slides

Steps of Primary Succession

• Barren rock is covered by moss

• Pioneer species such as lichens and mosses form on rocks

• Lichen can break rock down and mosses decompose; helping create soil

• Grasses begin to grow

• Small shrubs and small organisms start t come in

• Larger trees and different types of organisms come in, when there is more diversity and the ecosystem is back in equilibrium it is a climax community

Causes of Secondary Succession

• Soil is present

• Forest Fire

• Flood

• Deforestation

Steps of Secondary Succession

* Annual plants come about

* Followed by grasses and small plants

* Shrubs, small trees, and small animals

Large trees, diverse animals. it is now a climax community

Multiple Choice

What disturbance can cause secondary succession?

• volcanic eruption

• landslide

• glacier

• forest fire

Ecological Succession Takes Time

• Primary usually takes longer than secondary

  It can take a year for pioneer or annual plants to come in

• 3-4 years for shrubs and bushes to come in

• 5-150 years for small trees

• and 150 or more years for large trees and for the community to be in equilibrium which is a climax community

Purpose of Succession

Growth and development of an ecosystem when a disturbance occurs, it allows ecosystems to thrive once again and balance to return

How do microorganisms play a role in an ecosystem?

• They help break down matter and play a role in soil formation

• Help bring back nutrients into the soil

• promote Nitrogen fixation and other cycles such as...

Important Cycles

• Nitrogen Cycle- nitrogen is converted into multiple forms. Then nitrogen circulates around the soil, atmosphere, and ecosystem, micro-organisms play a role in this! They fix nitrogen into a form that is useful for plants

• Carbon Cycle- carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged 

• Sulfur Cycle- moves between rocks, waterways and living systems

Open Ended

What would happen if one of the cycles was disrupted?

Multiple Select

Which are a part of primary succession?

• Soil is not available

• soil is available

• moss is first to appear

• annual plants are first to appear

Multiple Choice

A volcanic eruption occurred in Hawaii, what would be the correct beginning stages of primary succession?

• Soil is there, moss forms, and grasses grow

• bare rock covered in moss, moss decomposes, soil forms

• Bare rock, grasses start to form, followed by moss

• soil is there, moss creates more soil, shrubs grow

Fill in the Blanks

When an ecosystem goes back to equilibrium it is called

Multiple Choice

What disturbance can cause secondary succession?

• Landslide

• Forest Fire

• Volcanic Eruption

• Glacier

Multiple Select

What role do micro-organisms play in an ecosystem?

• help create soil

• bring nutrients back

• help bring nitrogen into soil

• are producers

• are a main food source

Credits

• Image from BioNinja

• Image from Britannica

• Video from Amoeba Sisters (Youtube)