Question

a) Understand the process of succession and the difference between primary and secondary succession.

b) What is the role of disturbance in maintenance of species diversity?

c) Be able to discuss the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis in your answer.

d) Be able to give examples of how communities are structured by disturbance.

Answer 1

Succession is growth, development and establishment of organisms in certain peculiar conditions. Various ecological groups exhibit succession in their life over a period of time. For example, plants established in barren lands or soil with rocks result in pimary succession. Primary successsion is exhibited by plants such as mosses and lichens etc that can grow in nonfertile soils.

Secondary succession is the process of establishment of plants in lands that have been flourished with flora and fauna in previous times but are destructed due to natural calamities like forest fires or earthquakes etc. The plants are able to grow in such lands are known to undergo secondary succession.