Ecological Succession

Ch. 4 continued

How do ecosystems change over time?

Always changing in response to natural and human disturbances

Older inhabitants die out, new organisms move in

Ecological succession predictable changes in a community over time

Caused by slow changes in physical environment Caused by sudden natural disturbance

What is primary succession?

Succession on land where no soil previously existed

Hardened volcanic lava or ash Rocks exposed from glacier melt

Pioneer species 1st to populate an area

i.e. Lichens Creates soil

c. Steps of Primary Succession 1. Formation of Soil- rocks broken down by lichen- pioneer species (1st in area) weathering- wind, rain, frost 2. Colonization- of plants and animals Grasses & small plants Shrubs Pine trees Deciduous trees- oak, hickory, maple, elm

3. As plants move in, they create shade. This causes smaller plants to die off. As they die, their bodies decompose and create more soil. This allows larger plants to take over. 4. As plants become established, animals will move in. Herbivores first followed by their predators. 5. This process can take 100s of years. *** A final stable complex community will formCLIMAX COMMUNITY.

What is secondary succession?

Follows a community changing disturbance

Wild fires, humans clearing land

Climax Communities ending point of succession mature stable community

Still goes through change over time

Secondary Succession after a fire

Secondary Succession of a Lake

Succession in Marine Ecosystems

Begins with the death a large animal like a whale Carcass sinks to barren ocean floor Scavengers and decomposers feast on dead meat Meat is gone now and population of scavengers is smaller Decomposed nutrients in sediment attract many sediment dwellers like worms Lastly, heterotrophic bacteria decompose oil in remaining bones This releases chemical compounds which serve as energy for chemosynthetic bacteria which serve as food for a diverse marine community

Biomes
particular physical environment with unique set of abiotic factors, especially climate, and a characteristic ecological community Major biomes: tropical rainforest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, desert, temperate forest, temperate grassland, temperate woodland and shrubland, NW coniferous forest, boreal forest, and tundra

Other land areas

Dont fit neatly within a biome Mountain ranges abiotic and biotic factors vary with elevation Polar Ice Caps -

Describe some aquatic ecosystems. Determined by depth, flow, temperature, and chemistry of overlying water Inhabitants specially adapted to each ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems
Flowing water rivers, streams, creeks Standing water lakes, ponds

More aquatic ecosystems Estuaries wetlands where rivers meet the sea, fresh and salt water made of mostly detritivores
Salt marshes east coast Mangrove swamps everglades in Fla. Both of these are valuable nurseries for fish, shellfish, and vegetation

Marine Ecosystems
Light zones
Photic well lit upper layer where organisms are able to carry out photosynthesis Aphotic permanently dark zone beneath the photic zone, chemosynthetic autotrophs live here

Zones based on depth and distance from shore

Intertidal zone Coastal ocean Open ocean Benthic zone ocean floor Coral reefs unique, diverse and productive environment