There are two different types of succession; primary and secondary. These types of ecological succession happen after either a minor or major disaster that influence the surrounding environment.
Primary succession starts off from places that are deemed essentially dead and devoid of life. Places in which the soil is incapable of even growing any kind of plant life. Because a glacier has melted away leaving a patch of flat rock or due to lava from a nearby volcano has come through and wiped out everything. It isa succession that is started off by most large-scale catastrophes.
Secondary succession on the other hand starts off from a place that once had a community of plants and animals living in the area. It's distinctively different from primary succession due to the amount of devastation that classifies it. In secondary succession, smaller disasters, such as wildfires or floods may wipe out most of the life in an area, but the soil and the nutrients in the soil as well as a few to several species survive to make a new life for themselves. Wherein primary succession starts off devoid of life, secondary succession continues from a place that is wiped out from what it used to be, but still has nutrient soil and several different organisms to grow from.
Primary succession starts off from places that are deemed essentially dead and devoid of life. Places in which the soil is incapable of even growing any kind of plant life. Because a glacier has melted away leaving a patch of flat rock or due to lava from a nearby volcano has come through and wiped out everything. It isa succession that is started off by most large-scale catastrophes.
Secondary succession on the other hand starts off from a place that once had a community of plants and animals living in the area. It's distinctively different from primary succession due to the amount of devastation that classifies it. In secondary succession, smaller disasters, such as wildfires or floods may wipe out most of the life in an area, but the soil and the nutrients in the soil as well as a few to several species survive to make a new life for themselves. Wherein primary succession starts off devoid of life, secondary succession continues from a place that is wiped out from what it used to be, but still has nutrient soil and several different organisms to grow from.
The picture shown above exemplifies primary succession in a typical temperate ecosystem. In a Tropical Grassland/Savanna biome, however, the succession differs. It starts out with bare rock, followed by lichens and mosses(as shown) and then, as the bare areas gather soil, plants such as star grass and red oat grass will grow. These plants eventually lead into the development of larger plants and trees, such as the Acacia and Baobab trees. Small animals, like the mouse and hare, will slowly populate the area as well, followed by larger animals like lions, wild dogs, hyenas, and gazelles.
In 2004, the Arnhem Plateau region of Northern Australia suffered through a major wildfire that burned down a majority of all plant life and drove out or killed most of the animal life in the region.
In 2004, the Arnhem Plateau region of Northern Australia suffered through a major wildfire that burned down a majority of all plant life and drove out or killed most of the animal life in the region.