Community Succession

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Succession

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sequence of changes initiated by disturbance

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climax community

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The ultimate association of species achieved

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F.E. Clements

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pioneered studies of succession

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studies on succession have emphasize...

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• processes that underlie successional change
• adaptations of organisms to changing conditions
• interactions between colonists and species replacing them

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pioneer species

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colonizers of new habitats

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successional stages (another name)

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sere

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Primary succession

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the establishment and development of plant communities in newly formed habitats previously lacking plants

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bog succession

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Happens where retreating glaciers left deep kettlehole ponds where large chunks of ice formed depressions and then melted

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Secondary succession

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occurs when disturbance initiates the regeneration of a
climax community

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Two factors determine when a species becomes established in a sere...

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1. How readily it invades newly formed or disturbed habitat

2. How it responds to changes in the environment

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Three Processes Governing the Course of Succession

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Joseph Connell and Ralph Slatyer
- facilitation
- inhibition
- tolerance

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Facilitation

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embodies Clements’ view of a developmental sequence in which each species paves the way for the next.

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Inhibition

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One species inhibited by the presence of another is a common phenomenon, and this process can be seen in successions.

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tolerance

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allows a species to invade a new habitat and become established independently of the presence or absence of other species

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How long do successions last?

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In the humid tropics, forests regain most of their species within 100 years of clear-cutting

Old field succession to mature oak-hickory forest takes 150 years in North Carolina

The beech-maple climax forest requires up to 1,000 years to develop on Lake Michigan sand dunes

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Communities are typically most diverse and complex at...

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intermediate stages of succession

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Early successional species patterns

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• produce many small seeds
• rely on dispersal by wind or become attached to animals
• can remain dormant for long periods in seed banks
• allocate a relatively large amount of biomass to stems and leaves
• grow rapidly to small size
• are shade-intolerant

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Late successional species:

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– produce few large seeds
– rely on dispersal by gravity or are eaten and dispersed by animals
– have relatively little dormancy and longevity in the soil
– allocate a relatively large amount of biomass to roots and woody stems
– grow slowly to large size
– are shade-tolerant

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Some climax communities are maintained by what extreme conditions...

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Grazing or periodic fires.

i.e. Fires are essential to
maintenance of the longleaf
pine ecosystem

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Transient climaxes

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Climaxes that don't persist.

i.e. Development of vernal pools. The communities established are destroyed each year. Each spring the ponds or depressions are restocked by immigrants or dormant propagules, renewing the succession