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Primary and Secondary Ecological Succession

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Question: Define succession and differentiate between primary and secondary succession. Consider an area in which a natural community such as a forest, stream, prairie, etc. (not a town or city), has been disrupted in your part of the world, and discuss the successional changes it has gone through or will go through to get back to the climax condition for your area. Do you think it will reach a climax? Why or why not? If you are new to your area you may want to consider the secondary succession of an area you observed growing up such as a burned forest, clear-cut forest, or agricultural land that has been unused for years, etc.

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Solution Summary

Provide definitions, contrast, and examples of primary and secondary succession. Reviews why or why not an area will reach a climax.

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Succession is the gradual or rapid change in the species that occupy a given area, with some species invading or becoming more numerous. A stage of development that appears to be balanced between all species and physical environment is called a climax ecosystem.

Primary succession is the initial invasion and progression of an area, with no plants or soil, from one biotic community to the next. An example is an area after a ...

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