Ecosystem Succession 1
Succession in an ecosystem is the natural process that occurs when uninhabited land or land destroyed by a disaster gradually evolves into a new community. This development involves species in one stage being replaced by different species throughout the entire process. There are two types of succession, primary and secondary. The results of both types of succession can be seen over tens to thousands of years. Succession is an important factor in community development.
Every species has a set of environmental conditions under which it will grow and reproduce most optimally. In a given ecosystem, and under that ecosystem's set of environmental conditions, those species that can grow the most efficiently and produce the most viable offspring will become the most abundant organisms. As long as the ecosystem's set of environmental conditions remains constant, those species optimally adapted to those conditions will flourish. The original environment may have been optimal for the first species of plant or animal, but the newly altered environment is often optimal for some other species of plant or animal. Under the changed conditions of the environment, the previously dominant species may fail and another species may become ascendant.
Ecosystem Succession 2
Ecological succession may also occur when the conditions of an environment suddenly and drastically change. A forest fires, wind storms, and human activities like agriculture all greatly alter the conditions of an environment. These massive forces may also destroy species and thus alter the dynamics of the ecological community triggering a scramble for dominance among...