AP Environmental Science Ch. 5, part 3 Miller LITE

Ecological Succession

1. Ecological Succession
Ch. 5 part 3

2. Big Idea #4
Succession is the process of change in
the structure of the environment and the
composition of species in an ecosystem
as the environment changes

3. Where do forests come from?
They come about gradually through a
process called ecological succession

4. 2 types
Type 1: primary succession
Brand new land or water

5. Primary succession
No soil
First species to
come are called
pioneers
Mosses and lichen
Can grow on bare
rock
As they grow they
break apart the rock
and form soil

6. Primary succession
After a loooong time, there will be
enough soil to support small plants like
weeds, grasses, and small shrubs
Mosses and lichens die off

7. Primary succession
Finally enough soil accumulates to
support trees
And you get a climax community

9. Using the data, explain how the characteristics of the soil change
during primary succession and why those changes support more
complex communities

10. 2 types
Type 2: secondary succession
Old land that has been wiped out
somehow
Examples:
Abandoned
farmland
Burned forests
Polluted streams
Flooded land

11. Secondary Succession
The same thing
happens, but
much more
quickly since
there is already
a soil base

13. Succession
Animal species change through the
course of succession as well

14. Environmental Disturbance
Can be HUGE – Mt. St. Helens, Chernobyl
Can be TINY - a tree falling in the forest,
spraying for ants in your backyard

15. Succession is ALWAYS
happening
Because the environment is constantly
changing

16. The Succession Game
Playing Pieces
Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda)
Water Hickory (Carya aquatica)
Yew Shrub (Podocarpus macrophylla)
Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

17. Directions
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT SPECIES YOU ARE!
Take turns
Roll the die
When you land on a shaded square – draw a
card
Every player does what the card says
If you land on the same space as another
player – DUEL
Roll die
highest roll moves forward 1 space
Lower roll moves backward 1 space