17 Facts About Ecological succession

Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time.

Ecological succession was first documented in the Indiana Dunes of Northwest Indiana and remains an important ecological topic of study.

Swiss geologist Jean-Andre Deluc and the later French naturalist Adolphe Dureau de la Malle were the first to make use of the word Ecological succession concerning the vegetation development after forest clear-cutting.

Ecological succession recognized that vegetation on dunes of different ages might be interpreted as different stages of a general trend of vegetation development on dunes .

Ecological succession first published this work as a paper in the Botanical Gazette in 1899 .

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From about 1900 to 1960 understanding of Ecological succession was dominated by the theories of Frederic Clements, a contemporary of Cowles, who held that seres were highly predictable and deterministic and converged on a climatically determined stable climax community regardless of starting conditions.

In general, communities in early Ecological succession will be dominated by fast-growing, well-dispersed species .

Ecological succession was formerly seen as having a stable end-stage called the climax, sometimes referred to as the 'potential vegetation' of a site, and shaped primarily by the local climate.

The stages of primary Ecological succession include pioneer microorganisms, plants, grassy stage, smaller shrubs, and trees.

Dynamics in secondary Ecological succession are strongly influenced by pre-disturbance conditions, including soil development, seed banks, remaining organic matter, and residual living organisms.

Secondary Ecological succession is much more commonly observed and studied than primary Ecological succession.

Particularly common types of secondary Ecological succession include responses to natural disturbances such as fire, flood, and severe winds, and to human-caused disturbances such as logging and agriculture.

In secondary Ecological succession, the soils and organisms need to be left unharmed so there is a way for the new material to rebuild.

Secondary Ecological succession has been occurring in Shenandoah National Park following the 1995 flood of the Moorman's and Rapidan rivers, which destroyed plant and animal life.

Autogenic Ecological succession can be brought by changes in the soil caused by the organisms there.

Allogenic Ecological succession is caused by external environmental influences and not by the vegetation.

The study of Ecological succession applied to whole ecosystems initiated in the writings of Ramon Margalef, while Eugene Odum's publication of The Strategy of Ecosystem Development is considered its formal starting point.