Biological Sciences
Succession
Succession refers to the gradual process of change in the species composition of a community over time. It occurs in ecosystems following a disturbance, such as a fire or flood, and involves the replacement of one community by another. Primary succession begins in areas where no life previously existed, while secondary succession occurs in areas where previous life has been disturbed or removed.
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11 Key excerpts on "Succession"
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Academic Studio(Publisher)
________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ Chapter 13 Ecological Succession Succession after disturbance: a boreal forest one (left) and two years (right) after a wildfire. Ecological Succession , a fundamental concept in ecology, refers to more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community. Succession may be initiated either by formation of new, unoccupied habitat ( e.g. , a lava flow or a severe landslide) or by some form of disturbance ( e.g. fire, severe windthrow, logging) of an existing community. Succession that begins in areas where no soil is initially present is called primary Succession, whereas Succession that begins in areas where soil is already present is called secondary Succession. The trajectory of ecological change can be influenced by site conditions, by the interactions of the species present and by more stochastic factors such as availability of colonists or seeds, or weather conditions at the time of disturbance. Some of these factors contribute to predictability of Successional dynamics; others add more probabilistic elements. In general, communities in early Succession will be dominated by fast-growing, well-dispersed species (opportunist, fugitive, or r-selected life-histories). As Succession proceeds, these species will tend to be replaced by more competitive (k-selected) species. Trends in ecosystem and community properties in Succession have been suggested, but few appear to be general. For example, species diversity almost necessarily increases ________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ during early Succession as new species arrive, but may decline in later Succession as competition eliminates opportunistic species and leads to dominance by locally superior competitors. Net Primary Productivity, biomass and trophic level properties all show variable patterns over Succession, depending on the particular system and site.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- The English Press(Publisher)
________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ Chapter- 2 Ecological Succession Succession after disturbance: a boreal forest one (left) and two years (right) after a wildfire. Ecological Succession , a fundamental concept in ecology, refers to more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community. Succession may be initiated either by formation of new, unoccupied habitat ( e.g. , a lava flow or a severe landslide) or by some form of disturbance ( e.g. fire, severe windthrow, logging) of an existing community. Succession that begins in areas where no soil is initially present is called primary Succession, whereas Succession that begins in areas where soil is already present is called secondary Succession. The trajectory of ecological change can be influenced by site conditions, by the interactions of the species present and by more stochastic factors such as availability of colonists or seeds, or weather conditions at the time of disturbance. Some of these factors contribute to predictability of Successional dynamics; others add more probabilistic elements. In general, communities in early Succession will be dominated by fast-growing, well-dispersed species (opportunist, fugitive, or r-selected life-histories). As Succession proceeds, these species will tend to be replaced by more competitive (k-selected) species. Trends in ecosystem and community properties in Succession have been suggested, but few appear to be general. For example, species diversity almost necessarily increases ________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ during early Succession as new species arrive, but may decline in later Succession as competition eliminates opportunistic species and leads to dominance by locally superior competitors. Net Primary Productivity, biomass and trophic level properties all show variable patterns over Succession, depending on the particular system and site.
eBook - PDFEcology
Principles and Applications
- J. L. Chapman, M. J. Reiss(Authors)
- 1998(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
When applied to vegetation, Succession implies a directional change from one community to another. The original concept of vegetation succes- sion, as proposed by Clements (1916), was that Succession represented a unidirectional series of changes which could not be reversed. Clements' ideas on Succession and community classification are now thought to be too precise and rigidly organised to reflect the realities of ecosystem change. We have already seen that, under the right conditions, swamps can become lakes, and lakes can become swamps: so reversals in Succession may occur by the alteration of an environmental factor, in this case flooding. Because of criticisms of Clements' views, definitions of Succession were broadened to include all community changes including regeneration of the same vegetation type and minor fluctuations in community structure (Gleason, 1927). This broader view was perhaps rather too all-encompassing to be helpful for the understanding of vegetation changes. The term 'Succession', as used by ecologists today, falls somewhat in between these two earlier views. It is not simply the one-way changes in vegetation in a developing or maturing habitat, nor is it now taken to include the minor fluctuations or changes found in communities due to seasonality or other cyclical changes. Succession is thought of as a series of changes in community structure and species composition. At its most extreme, this sequence of Succession starts on bare, uncolonised ground which has never had any vegetation growing on it before or in newly formed lakes. This is known as primary Succession. It is uncommon to find the early stages of primary Succession today. Bare areas are rare, but they may occur on sand dunes, the lava flows of volcanos, new volcanic islands (see Section 18.3.2), landslips and glacial debris left by melting glacier ice.
eBook - ePubHuman Ecology
Basic Concepts for Sustainable Development
- Gerald G Marten, Gerald G. Marten(Authors)
- 2010(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
- One biological community can create conditions that are more suitable for another biological community. A biological community can change the physical or biological conditions of a site, making it more favourable for another biological community. One biological community therefore leads to another.
- A biological community can be destroyed by natural or humangenerated ‘disturbances’ and replaced by another biological community. Fires, storms and floods are examples of natural disturbances. Human activities such as logging or clearing land to make agricultural or urban ecosystems can also destroy a biological community. Activities such as excessive fishing or livestock grazing can change a biological community so much that it is replaced by a different community.
Earlier stages of ecological Succession are known as ‘immature’. They are simpler, with fewer species of plants and animals. As community assembly progresses, the biological community becomes more complex. It accumulates more species, many of them more specialized with regard to diet and the way they interact with other plants and animals in the food web. The ecosystem consequently becomes more ‘mature’. The last stage of Succession is a climax community. Climax communities do not change to another stage by themselves. The progression from immature biological communities to mature and climax communities is ecological Succession.An Example of Ecological SuccessionEcological Succession typically begins when the existing biological community has been cleared away by human activity or natural disturbance such as a fire or severe storm. This may happen over a large area, but Succession can also begin in a small patch of forest that is opened up where an old tree has fallen. In western Japan, short grasses and small annual flowering plants generally mark the first stage of Succession (Figure 6.1A ). After a few years, they may be outgrown by taller grasses. Eventually, young trees and shrubs grow up through the grasses to form a mixture of tree saplings and shrubs that is dense enough to shade out most of the grass (Figure 6.1B
- David Tilman(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Princeton University Press(Publisher)
CHAPTER SEVEN Succession Terrestrial plant Succession, generally defined as the dynamics of plant populations on an initially bare substrate, has been a subject of ecological study and debate since the turn of the century (Cowles 1899; Cooper 1913; Clements 1916; Gleason 1917, 1927). Despite the large number of papers and books that have been written on the subject, there is still no consensus among ecologists as to the causes of Successional patterns. Clearly, this is partly because Succession is such a broad subject that it is extremely unlikely that any single factor or process will ever explain all Successions. Each species has physiological, morphological, and life history characteristics that are unique to it. Each habitat has a unique substrate, geomorphology, climate, and past history. The initial densities of colonists and the probabilities of colonization by various species are unique to each Successional event. Further, because colonization is necessarily a probabilistic event and because successful col-onists can have great potential for rapid growth in a previ-ously vacant habitat, Succession is unavoidably stochastic. Nevertheless, Succession is an often repeatable process locally that shares many features from habitat to habitat worldwide (see papers in West, Shugart, and Botkin 1981). It is these similarities that have kindled an interest in succes-sion. It is the differences among Successions, however, that may provide the best clues to its causes. PRIMARY Succession By definition, Successions start with a bare substrate. For primary Successions, such as those occurring after glacial 213 CHAPTER SEVEN recession, sand dune formation, landslides, volcanic erup-tion, or major erosion, the bare mineral substrate is initially devoid of organic humus and plant propagules. For sec-ondary Successions, such as those occurring after clearcut-ting or farming, an organic soil and propagules of various plant species are present at the start.
- Karel Prach, Lawrence R. Walker(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
Part I Plant Succession and Biomes 2 Humans and Succession 2.1 Introduction Succession is a natural process of ecosystem development following a disturbance. In this chapter, we review basic theoretical concepts con- cerning Succession and examine how humans have interacted with it. We document how human approaches to environmental change gradually became more formalized as a study of Succession, a study that is now a dynamic tenet of ecology. We end the chapter with a discussion of how Succession is currently studied. Humans have long been aware that their environment changes over time (Clements, 1916). Hunters and gatherers needed to know how seasonal variables such as leaf cover and frost duration or longer-term changes such as forest encroachment on grasslands affected their prey. They probably used fire to intentionally manipulate the proportion of woody plants and herbs. Farmers understood the implications of their short-term manipulations of soil fertility on longer-term soil quality and crop success and the implications of cutting down trees on forest regrowth. The development of early human societies depended on successful, sustainable harvesting of natural resources, so the focus was largely on practical management concerns. Therefore, humans have long influenced the natural forces driving Succession. Throughout human history, we have consistently improved our ability to extract natural resources by clearing forests, draining wetlands, and mining raw materials. As humans became more efficient at resource extraction, these changes increased our role as manipulators of temporal dynamics. For example, the rapid expansion of humanity has intensified natural and anthropogenic disturbances; depleted populations of animals we hunt and fish; expanded and manipulated crops; facilitated the spread of nonnative plants; and created new plant communities better adapted to the changing environmental conditions (del Moral & Walker, 2007).
eBook - PDF- Adrian C. Newton(Author)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
7. The species composition of a site tends to equilibrate with the environment of that site. 8. The specific form of a Successional trajectory is contingent on starting conditions, and the stochasticity of invasion and controls on species interactions. 9. Succession produces temporal gradients of the physical environ- ment, biotic communities and the interaction of the two. 48 · Ecological Theory Successional processes can be attributed to the response of individual species to disturbance, which will depend on the type and characteristics of the disturbance event and the attributes or life-history traits of the species present (Figure 2.2). For example, species differ in their traits relating to dispersal ability, establishment, growth, survival, reproduction and mortality on a particular site (Prach and Pyšek, 1999), which will influence their ability to colonise and persist in an area following disturb- ance. Analysis and classification of life-history traits has proved to be a successful approach for predicting responses of communities to disturb- ance, particularly in the case of terrestrial vegetation (Pulsford et al., 2016). Such approaches therefore offer a way of understanding how ecosystems recover. Succession was originally conceived as a progressive directional change in species composition, leading towards the creation of a stable climax community. Current conceptions recognise that Succession is inherently variable and may follow many different pathways on a particular site (Box 2.4), owing to variation in factors including the characteristics of the disturbance event, the existence of resource gradients, the order in Figure 2.2 Mechanisms of ecological Succession. Adapted from Pickett et al. (2013). 2.3 Succession · 49 which species colonise and the landscape context (Pickett et al., 2013).
eBook - PDFEcological Applications
Toward a Sustainable World
- Colin R. Townsend(Author)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
202 8 Succession is the relatively predictable sequence of change in community composition that occurs after a dis- turbance: it is pointless to plan our harvests, restoration, biosecurity or conservation projects on the assumption of constant conditions when very often the reality is disturbance, Succession and constant change. Chapter contents 8.1 Introduction 203 8.2 Managing Succession for restoration 206 8.2.1 Restoration timetables for plants 206 8.2.2 Restoration timetable for animals 208 8.2.3 Invoking the theory of competition–colonization trade-offs 209 8.2.4 Invoking Successional-niche theory 209 8.2.5 Invoking facilitation theory 210 8.2.6 Invoking enemy-interaction theory 215 8.3 Managing Succession for harvesting 216 8.3.1 Benzoin ‘gardening’ in Sumatra 216 8.3.2 Aboriginal burning enhances harvests 217 8.4 Using Succession to control invasions 219 8.4.1 Grassland 219 8.4.2 Forest 220 8.5 Managing Succession for species conservation 221 8.5.1 When early Succession matters most – a hare-restoring formula for lynx 221 8.5.2 Enforcing a Successional mosaic – first aid for butterflies 222 8.5.3 When late Succession matters most – range finding for tropical birds 223 8.5.4 Controlling Succession in an invader-dominated community 223 8.5.5 Nursing a valued plant back to cultural health 224 Key concepts In this chapter you will recognize that Succession may be driven by external physical change (allogenic) or by internal species interactions (autogenic) prompted by disturbance understand that the shift from pioneer to mid- to late-Successional plant communities is mediated by species traits – notably colonizing ability, competitive status, facilitative power, and vulnera- bility to herbivores realize that a Succession that appears to have reached a climax is, however, usually a mosaic of early-Successional patches within a late-Successional matrix Succession and management
eBook - PDFAgroecology
The Ecology of Sustainable Food Systems, Third Edition
- Stephen R. Gliessman(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Ecologists distinguish two basic types of Succession. Primary Succession is ecosystem development on sites (such as bare rock, glaciated surfaces, or recently formed volcanic islands) that were not previously occupied by living organ-isms or subject to the changes that the biotic components can bring to bear on the abiotic components. Secondary succes-sion is ecosystem development on sites that were previously occupied by living organisms, but had some or all of those organisms removed by fire, flooding, severe wind, intense grazing, or some other event. Depending on the intensity, fre-quency, and duration of the disturbance, the impact on the structure and function of the ecosystem will vary, as will the time required for recovery from the disturbance. Since the disturbance and recovery process that occur in agriculture usually take place in sites that formerly had other biotic com-ponents, we will focus our attention here on the secondary Succession process. T HE N ATURE OF D ISTURBANCE Although natural ecosystems give the impression of being stable and unchanging, they are constantly being altered on some scale by events such as fire, wind storms, floods, extremes of temperature, epidemic outbreaks, falling trees, mudslides, and erosion. These events disturb ecosystems by killing organisms, destroying and modifying habitats, and changing abiotic conditions. Any of these impacts can change the structure of a natural ecosystem and cause changes in the population levels of the organisms present and the biomass they store. Disturbance can vary in three dimensions: 1. Intensity of disturbance can be measured by the amount of biomass removed or the number of indi-viduals killed. The three types of fire described in Chapter 10 provide good examples of variation in disturbance intensity: surface fires usually cre-ate low-intensity disturbance, whereas crown fires cause high-intensity disturbance.
eBook - PDFAn Integrative Approach to Successional Dynamics
Tempo and Mode of Vegetation Change
- Scott J. Meiners, Steward T. A. Pickett, Mary L. Cadenasso(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
There is a second major approach to theorizing Succession that emerges from the ecosystem paradigm of ecology. Ecosystems are defined as units comprising the biological organisms and the environmental factors with which those organisms interact within a bounded volume of the Earth (Coleman, 2010). They may be aquatic, terrestrial or mixed, of any size, and can be delimited to match boundaries that appear in the natural world or boundaries that match the scale of a research question or some practical application (Allen and Holling, 2002). For example, an ecosystem study may be focused on a clearly delimited catch- ment under the assumption that the integrative power of water movement will mainly operate within the watershed boundaries (Likens, 1984). Of course, some important fluxes, say of limiting nutrients, may be accomplished by atmospheric deposition, below-ground flow, or movement by organisms. These fluxes across watershed bound- aries may be significant (Cadenasso et al., 2003a). An alternative way to select ecosys- tem limits is to employ jurisdictional boundaries, as when the ecosystem of a managed forest or of a city is to be understood (Landres et al., 1998). In such cases the number of important fluxes and vectors can be very large indeed. 34 Succession theory The issue of boundaries is critical because ecosystem ecology usually focuses not only on the energy and material exchanges and transformations within ecosystems, but also on the transfers across their defined boundaries. Ecosystem ecology therefore deals primarily with quantities of energy, energy embodied in matter, or quantities of nutrient or con- taminant materials (Chapin et al., 2002). Energetics are viewed through the lens of thermodynamic theory, and matter transformations and exchanges are governed by con- servation of mass, and by the stoiochiometry of the chemicals in ecosystems, the fact that elements appear in biologically important molecules in certain proportions (Elser, 2003).
eBook - PDFEcology
From Individuals to Ecosystems
- Michael Begon, Colin R. Townsend, John L. Harper(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
Section 22.4 describes how our knowledge of patterns of species richness (see application of community and ecosystem theory Chapter 22 Ecological Applications at the Level of Communities and Ecosystems: Management Based on the Theory of Succession, Food Webs, Ecosystem Functioning and Biodiversity 634 CHAPTER 22 Chapter 21) can be used to design networks of reserves, whether specifically for conservation (see Section 22.4.1) or for multiple uses, such as harvesting, tourism and conservation combined (see Section 22.4.2). Finally, in Section 22.5 we deal with a reality that applied ecologists cannot ignore. The application of ecological theory never proceeds in isolation. First, there are inevitably economic considerations – how can farmers maximize production while minimizing costs and adverse ecological consequences; how can we set eco- nomic values for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning so that these can be evaluated alongside profits from forestry or mining; how can returns be maximized from the limited funds available for conservation? These issues are discussed in Section 22.5.1. Second, there are almost always sociopolitical considerations (see Section 22.5.2) – what methods can be used to reconcile the desires of all interested parties, from farmers and harvesters to tourism operators and conservationists; should the require- ments for sustainable management be set in law or encouraged by education; how can the needs and perspectives of indigenous people be taken into account? These issues come together in the so-called triple bottom line of sustainability, with its ecological, economic and sociopolitical perspectives (see Section 22.5.3). 22.2 Succession and management 22.2.1 Managing Succession in agroecosystems Gardeners and farmers alike devote considerable effort to fighting succes- sion by planting desired species and weeding out unwanted competitors.
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