Read · 1 min
Ecological successions is what happens to an ecosystem after a major disturbance within the ecosystem. There are 2 major types of ecological succession, primary succession and secondary succession.
Primary Succession
Primary succession typically deals with when there is no soil present, i.e. an island that has just formed from an undersea volcano. Typically, lichens and other creatures that survive on rock get there first. Over time, the dead lichens turn to soil and eventually, smaller plants arrive to the newly formed soil.
Secondary Succession
Secondary successions typically deals with soil is present, i.e., after a wildfire , however, most if not all of the plants have been killed. First small plants, such as dandelions, colonize the the soil. Gradually, over time, larger plants and animals recolonize the landscape, eventually returning it to something close to what it was before the disturbance.
Pioneer Species
Pioneer species are species that a typically the first to colonize an ecosystem after a disturbance. These organisms are typically small, such as dandelion or lichen.