Name: _____________________
Succession Notes
What is Succession?
Primary Succession-
Examples:
Secondary Succession-
Examples:
Pioneer Species-
Examples:
Climax Community-
How does an ecosystem start over?
Pond Succession
Pioneer stage
- bare muddy or sandy bottom, algae is the primary producer
- caddisfly larva and certain fish that nest or burrow in the bottom
Submergent plant stage
- organisms decay forming soil on the bottom
- small aquatic plants grow but do not reach the surface
- dragonfly and mayfly larva as well as weedy bottom fish
Emergent plant stage
- pond continue to fill with decayed matter and larger plants grown through the surface: cattails,
bulrushes, and water lilies, frogs, turtles, salamanders, few fish, worms, etc.
- bacteria consume a lot of oxygen so less is available to animals
Marsh
- no large areas of open water – covered with vegetation
- truly aquatic animals like fish can no longer survive
Swamp
- marsh becomes drier filling with more soil, trees start growing like swamp maple and willow
Forest
- swamp fills in with soil and becomes dry
- drier trees dominate like beech and maple