Succession...
Mount St. Helen’s Video
Part 1
What is Succession?
Succession
An orderly change in communities of
organisms that occurs over time
Primary Succession- begins with bare rock after
geologic activity (ex: volcano)
Secondary Succession- begins on soil from
which previous community has been removed
(fire, agriculture...)
Primary Succession
Secondary
Succession
Think about here...
An area of the
field outside is
left to grow,
how would it
change over
time?
Field Succession
Grass
Shrubs
Trees
Forest

Video
Take the picture and try and place
them in order from beginning of
succession to climax community in
order.
 Good Luck!

Pioneer Stage
•
•
•
Bare muddy or
sandy bottom
Algae is primary
producer
Caddisfly Larva and
fish that nest or
burrow in bottom
Submergent Plant
Stage
•
•
•
Organisms decay
forming soil on bottom
Small aquatic plants
grow but do not reach
surface
Dragonfly and Mayfly
larva as well as weedy
bottom fish
Emergent Plant Stage
•
•
•
•
•
Continues to fill with
decaying matter
Larger plants grow through
surface
Cattails, bullrushes, water
lilies
Frogs, turtles, salamanders,
a few fish
Bacteria consume O2, less
available to fish
Marsh
•
•
•
No large open
areas of water
Vegetation
covers most of
the land
No truly aquatic
fish can survive
Swamp
•
•
Marsh has
become more dry,
filled with more
soil
Trees start to
grow like swamp
maple and
swamp willow
Forest
•
•
Swamp has
filled in with
soil and dried
up
Trees like
maple and
beech
dominate
•
•
Mount St. Helen’s Regrowth Video Part 5
Mount St. Helen’s Regrowth Video Part 6