Succession Basics
This term describes the gradual change in plant and animal communities over time.
What is succession?
These are the first organisms to live in a new or disturbed area.
What are pioneer species?
This factor most strongly determines which biome develops in an area.
What is climate?
Most lakes and ponds are considered this because they eventually fill in.
What are temporary ecosystems?
This occurs when fish are caught faster than they can reproduce.
What is overfishing?
This type of succession begins with bare rock and no soil.
What is primary succession?
This pioneer organism often grows on bare rock and helps form soil.
What are lichens?
Temperature and this factor work together to shape biomes.
What is precipitation?
These organisms float in water and perform photosynthesis.
What is phytoplankton?
This fishing practice damages ocean floors and coral reefs.
What is bottom trawling?
This type of succession happens after a disturbance where soil is still present.
What is secondary succession?
This term describes a stable, long-lasting community that results from succession.
What is a climax community?
This biome receives less than 25 cm (10 inches) of rain per year.
What is the desert?
As ponds fill in over time, they often change into this type of ecosystem.
What is a wet meadow or terrestrial ecosystem?
These are fish or animals caught accidentally and thrown away.
What is bycatch?
Lava flows and retreating glaciers are examples of events that cause this type of succession.
What is primary succession?
Compared to early successional communities, climax communities usually have more of this.
What is biodiversity (more species/interactions)?
This biome has grasses, few trees, and frequent fires.
What is temperate grassland?
This process explains how a pond slowly turns into land.
What is aquatic succession?
This legal agreement protects private land from development.
What is conservation easement?
Secondary succession usually happens faster than primary succession because this is already present.
True or False: A climax community never changes.
What is false?
This biome has warm temperatures and heavy rainfall year-round.
What is the tropical rainforest?
Which aquatic ecosystem is NOT temporary?
What is the ocean?
Name ONE way humans can reset succession to an earlier stage.
What is farming, logging, fire, or flooding?