Succession: Definition and Examples



- This is a picture of the beach at Rosy Mound.



SUCCESSION

Definition:

Succession is the change in a community of organisms into a new community of organisms that takes place in one location over time.





Where It Occurs In My Everyday World....
An example of succession in my everyday world is when a natural disaster (such as a forest fire) wipes out an environment, but slowly and over time, the environment is being renewed with pioneer plants (such as Marram Grass), trees, and animals. But, if ANOTHER natural disaster occurs, then those organisms would die off, and possibly an entirely different environment could be growing there.

How Succession is Demonstrated at Rosy Mound.....

- From the beach, and to the foredune...

High wind velocity causes succesion on the beach and the foredune (however it is not as powerful at the foredune). This is because the wind can be so powerful that it wipes out many organsims that are not able to adapt to this area. Therefore, new plants and animals that come to the area for the first time, and find out they CAN adapt to the beach and the foredune, reproduce more and more until eventually, the beach and foredune are filled with those organisms. The Sea Rocket is able to adapt to the dune by withstanding tough conditions and sinks its roots to the water and stores water in its leaves.The Tiger Beetle is able to adapt to its environment by burrowing into the sand for shelter when clouds or rain appear and its camouflage can help it by hiding from predators,or ready to snack on prey. 



- From the foredune, and to the trough.....
 Water is lacking here, causing succession. The organisms living here (such as Juniper trees, Northern Red Oak and various grasses) don't need too much water and love the sun, which is why they are able to adapt here. However, if the water level rises and somehow floods out the dune, water-loving organisms would push out the organisms originally living there. The Sand Wolf Spider is able to adapt here because it burrows into the sand to keep itself cool from the sand's high temperatures and uses camouflage to blend into its surroundings.



- This a picture of the trough at Rosy Mound.

 - From the trough, and to the forested dune area.....
Lack of light because of the tall, sun-loving trees, makes succesion. This is because the smaller trees and plants that depend on the sunlight, are dying off because the taller trees are making too much shade for these organisms. Now, the trough and forested dune areas have organisms who depend on shade, and cooler temperatures. However, if some great natural disaster occurs, and all of the tall trees are dead, the sun-loving trees and plants would begin to grow again. The Red Fox adapts to its environment by living off of the diverse organisms that live in the trough like berries and birds, and because of its small size to keep hidden. The Eastern Hemlock can adapt as well because of its ability to develop on steep slopes and is protected by intense wind and erosion.