T5 Ecological Succession Lesson

Ecological Succession

Task 1: Ecological Succession Time Lapse Watch the "How a Fire Can Restore a Forest Time Lapse" video from EdPuzzle. After you watch, answer the following two questions.

EdPuzzle Class Codes

Open Ended

Why did fire workers conduct a controlled burn?

Open Ended

Describe how the forest changed after the fire.

Task 2: Ecological Succession Video Tutorial Watch the Ecological Succession video by the Amoeba Sisters on EdPuzzle. After you watch, answer the questions that follow.

EdPuzzle Class Codes

Open Ended

What did you score on the EdPuzzle?

Open Ended

Define ecological succession.

Multiple Choice

What is the term that describes many populations living together in a particular area?

• society
• ecosystem

• herd
• community

Multiple Choice

Will an area with no soil undergo primary succession or secondary succession?

• Primary Succession

• Secondary Succession

Open Ended

What is a pioneer species?

Fill in the Blanks

In what three ways can seeds be dispersed?

____, _____, and _______.

Open Ended

What are three examples of an ecological disturbance?

Open Ended

What is the difference between secondary succession and primary succession?

Multiple Choice

Which process is faster – secondary succession or primary succession?

• Primary Succession

• Secondary succession

Multiple Choice

How does ecological succession impact biodiversity?

• Ecological succession increases biodiversity

• Ecological succession has no impact on biodiversity
• Ecological succession decreases biodiversity

Task 3: Ecological Succession Interactive

Access the Ecological Succession Interactive activity on the Bioman Bio website and answer the questions that follow as you complete the activity.
Click on Start a New Game. Then click the Primary Succession Tab. Click Continue to move through the activity.

Fill in the Blanks

Complete this sentence:

Notice that once it cools, it is just

____ ____ with __ ____ and __ ____.

Fill in the Blanks

Complete this sentence:

Now the process of colonization by life will begin. The changes in

is called SUCCESSION.

Fill in the Blanks

A lichen can grow on bare rock because the fungus can ______ to the rock and break it down bit by bit with _____ that it makes.

Open Ended

How does lichen arrive on the island?

Fill in the Blanks

Moss spores are _____________ to your island. Several generations of lichens have broken down the rock and produced enough ____ To allow mosses to grow. Mosses ______ the lichens and the number of lichens decreases. As mosses grow and die, they will continue to build up the amount of ____.

Open Ended

Why do grasses spread rapidly?

Open Ended

How do grasses help build up the soil?

Open Ended

Why do bushes take longer to become established than smaller plants?

Open Ended

What do flowering plants need in order to reproduce?

Open Ended

How do trees outcompete other plants?

Open Ended

What are pollinators critical to?

Open Ended

What do primary consumers eat?

Open Ended

What is the ecological niche of secondary consumers?

Open Ended

What do tertiary consumers eat?

Ecological Succession Interactive

Part B: Choose your pioneer species and try to build a successful climax ecosystem. Keep trying until you are successful. As you move through this part of the activity, answer the following questions.

Open Ended

Why are lichen a great pioneer species?

Open Ended

How do mosses help succession?

Open Ended

What do the grasses outcompete the mosses for?

Open Ended

How do the seeds for bushes enter the island?

Open Ended

How do primary consumers benefit plants?

Open Ended

What is a climax community?

Ecological Succession Interactive

Part C: Click on Return to Main Menu and then click on the Secondary Succession tab.

Open Ended

What type of community does secondary succession begin with?

Open Ended

What is the process of rebuilding a community that is disrupted called?

Open Ended

Why can your pioneer species be different in secondary succession?

Open Ended

Why can flowers rapidly germinate?

Open Ended

Why are tree seeds already on the island?

Ecological Succession Interactive

Part D: Click on Return to Main Menu and then click on the Quiz tab.

Reorder

Reorder the following. Fill in the timeline below to show which order organisms appear during primary succession.

• lichen

• mosses

• grasses and flowers

• bushes and shrubs

• trees

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Open Ended

Biodiversity is the variety of life in an area. Think about the process of succession. How does biodiversity change during succession?

Open Ended

According to the graph, what best describes what occurs to the amount of grasses in the graph?

Open Ended

According to the graph, what best explains the decrease in the mass of mosses?

Ecological Succession Interactive

Part E: CLICK HERE to take a PRACTICE Quiz