Question 1. Explain Four Phases of Ecological Succesion

QUESTION 1.
EXPLAIN FOUR PHASES OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESION
Succession is a scientific term describing the long-term progression of biological communities that
occurs in a given area. Ecological succession breaks down into three fundamental phases: primary and
secondary succession, and a climax state. The study of ecological succession generally focuses on the
plants present on a particular site. But animal populations also shift over time in response to the
changing habitat.
Primary Succession
Primary succession occurs when organisms colonize an area devoid of life, usually after a catastrophic
natural event that leaves the land barren. Often the first organisms to take hold are algae, fungi and
simple plants such as lichens and mosses. Over time a thin layer of soil builds up so that more advanced
plants, such as grasses and ferns, can take root. Along with the successful colonization of plants come
animals such as insects, birds and small invertebrates. One example of primary succession is the pioneer
communities that begin to inhabit a newly created lava bed, where life cannot exist until the rock
surface cools to a moderate temperature. Primary succession undergo the following stages
i) Nudation: initiation of succession it’s the emergence of the barren environment free from
vegetation.
ii) Migration/dispersal: migration of organisms to the barren land
iii) Ecesis: successful establishment of a living organisms brought about by allelogenic mechanisms
which is in the environment caused by physical abiotic processes
iv) Competition: struggle of established species for available resources.
Can be intra or interspecific between species.
v) Reaction: adjustment of the environment by organism brought about by autogenic mechanisms
which changes in the environment caused by plants themselves.
vi) Stabilization: when plants are generally stable they are reproducing whereby biological
potential is reached and one form of vegetation dominates.
vii) Climax community: stable vegetation is at equilibrium with the environment.
Secondary Succession
Most ecological change occurs as secondary succession. In fact, most biological communities are in a
continual state of secondary succession. This term describes the process in which an established
community is replaced by a different set of plants and animals. Secondary succession is gradual, always
moving toward the climax community. Most ecosystems, however, experience disturbances -- either
natural events such as wildfires or flooding, or man-caused events such as logging -- that set back the
progress of succession.
Intermediate Stages
An ecosystem undergoes many intermediate stages of succession. These changes form a continuum
between the two endpoints, with the actual stages being merely a fixed glance at the never-ending
progression of plants and animals. The emergence of the climax state of succession may occur more
quickly in some ecosystems, and likely never occur in other biomes that experience routine
disturbances. Examples of quickly forming climax communities are the short-grass and long-grass
prairies of the Great Plains of the United States.
Climax communities are relatively stable and can vary widely in a given region, especially when the
landscape consists of high mountains and low valleys. In such cases, the final biological matrix of plants
and animals can cover vast tracts of land or be limited to a very small pocket within the landscape.
Overall, a climax community is very dependent on rainfall, soil, altitude and temperature. California, for
instance, includes many different and distinct ecosystems. One of the most unique places is the
redwood forest, which can be found only in the fog banks along the coastal waterways of the northern
part of the state.
QUESTION 2. DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF HUMAN PRESSURE ON THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM.
Each of these types of human influence affects forests differently, and the magnitude of the effects will
depend strongly on the methods employed locally, the forest type, and on other factors within and
around the ecosystem. For example, commercial logging in temperate forests is often by clear cutting,
which entirely removes forest cover in some areas and fragments remaining forest cover. In contrast,
commercial logging in tropical forests is usually by selective felling which disrupts canopies and forest
structure and alters species composition, but may not alter total forest cover or its spatial configuration.
Secondary effects of logging such as increased access and resultant hunting are also important
determinants of the status of forest biodiversity and the prospects for its preservation. Small-scale
timber extraction differs yet again in its effects on forest condition. The effects of climate change are less
localized, and are only beginning to be recognized. Thus, many factors influencing forest biodiversity are
affected in varying and complex fashions by human activity.
In general human activities tend to affect any of three major aspects of forests:
1) The total area of forest remaining – many of man’s activities remove forest cover either temporarily
or permanently. Some forest types may disappear locally, and reduction in the total amount of habitat is
a significant pressure on some forest species that can lead to local extinction.
2) The configuration of remaining forest cover – reduction in forest area is often accompanied by
division of remaining forest cover into fragments, rather than continuous blocks. Forest biodiversity is
affected by the consequent local reduction in habitat area, by the exposure of forest edges to new
environmental and biotic influences and by isolation from other forest areas (more detailed discussion
below).
3) The structure and composition of remaining forest – some human activities alter canopy structure, or
focus disproportionately on particular species and specific components of their populations.
References
Science clarified: SuccessionOffwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust: Ecological Succession -- Summary

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QUESTION 1.

EXPLAIN FOUR PHASES OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESION

QUESTION 2. DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF HUMAN PRESSURE ON THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM.

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