27
9/14/15
Ecological Succession
Ecological Succession
9/14/15
EQ: How does succession
Application:
Ws
change populations and
species diversity?
Starter: What is
succession?
Practice: Notes
28
Connection:/Exit:
1.
After wildfires, such as in the
Bastrop, TX area, would primary
or secondary succession occur?
Why?
2. What will be first to grow back,
second, third, etc.?
3. What are humans doing to help
speed up the succession process?
4. How might ecological succession
change the diversity of species in
an area?
Table of Contents
Date
Lecture/ Activity/ Lab
8/27 Syllabus /Notebook Guidelines
8/27
Periodic Table/ Formula
8/27
Tools/ Measurement
8/27
Lab Report/ Investigations
8/27
Restroom passes/Homework Log
8/28 Testing a hypothesis
8/29
Levels of Organization
9/02
Symbiotic Relationships
9/03
Abiotic and Biotic Factors
9/4-5 Ecosystems Research and Poster
9/8
Flow of Energy
9/09-10 Food Web Poster
9/11
Test
9/14
Ecological Succession
Page
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12
13-14
15-16
17-18
19-20
21-22
23-24
25-26
27-28
Agenda
• 1. Starter
• 2. Notes
• 3. Activity
• 4. Exit
Changes in Ecosystems:
Ecological Succession
What is Ecological Succession?
• Natural, gradual changes in the
types of species that live in an
area
• Can be primary or secondary
• The gradual replacement of one
plant community by another
through natural processes over
time
Primary Succession
• Begins in a place without any soil:
»Sides of volcanoes
»Landslides
»Flooding
• First, lichens that do not need soil to
survive grow on rocks
• Next, mosses grow to hold newly
made soil
• Known as PIONEER SPECIES
Pioneer Species
Lichens break down rock to
form soil.
Low, growing moss
plants trap moisture
and prevent soil
erosion
Primary Succession
• Soil starts to form as lichens and
the forces of weather and erosion
help break down rocks into
smaller pieces
• When lichens die, they
decompose, adding small amounts
of organic matter to the rock to
make soil
Primary Succession
• Simple plants like mosses and ferns
can grow in the new soil
Primary Succession
• The simple plants die, adding more
organic material (nutrients to the soil)
• The soil layer thickens, and grasses,
wildflowers, and other plants begin to
take over
Primary Succession
• These plants die, and they add more
nutrients to the soil
• Shrubs and trees can survive now
Primary Succession
• Insects, small birds, and mammals
have begun to move into the area
• What was once bare rock, now
supports a variety of life
Secondary Succession
• Begins in a place that already has
soil and was once the home of
living organisms
• Occurs faster and has different
pioneer species than primary
succession
• Example: after forest fires
Climax Community
• A stable group of plants and
animals that is the end result of
the succession process
• Does not always mean big trees
– Grasses in prairies
– Cacti in deserts
27
9/14/15
Ecological Succession
EQ: How does succession
change populations and
species diversity?
Starter: What is
succession?
Practice: Notes
Ecological Succession
28
9/14/15
Application:
Ws
Connection:/Exit:
1. After wildfires, such as in the
Bastrop, TX area, would primary or
secondary succession occur? Why?
2. What will be first to grow back,
second, third, etc.?
3. What are humans doing to help
speed up the succession process?
4. How might ecological succession
change the diversity of species in
an area?