In geographic areas, plant and animal populations undergo typical change sequences {succession, species}| {serial stages} in response to fires, floods, volcano eruptions, tornadoes, hurricanes, diseases, insect infestations, harvesting, and clearing. Succession typically results in more biomass, more diversity, and more stability. Sequences end in climax communities.
fire
After forest fires, less common species found only in older forests are no longer present. Species sensitive to fire decrease greatly and only slowly increase. Other species increase after fire and dominate, then decrease.
Native species often increase. Exotic species invade. Grass {graminoid plant} cover increases.
Where fires happen every dry season, as in savannah woodlands, monsoon forests, and tropical pine forests, trees have thick bark, make seeds that can grow in fire-damaged regions, develop biochemical mechanisms to heal fire scars, and can re-sprout.
factors
Succession patterns depend on biome, land elevation, forest or grassland terrain, seed-dispersal mechanisms, winds, nearby species, time between catastrophes, and human effects. Succession patterns differ by catastrophe type.
Biological Sciences>Ecology>Community>Succession
4-Ecology-Community-Succession
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Date Modified: 2022.0224