A farm pond is dug and left alone. These stages are found over the next centuries, but they are…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A farm pond is dug and left alone. These stages are found over the next centuries, but they are listed in the wrong order: reed swamp, phytoplankton, trees, marsh meadow, submerged plants, shrubs, floating plants.
- Write them in the correct order.
- What is the name of this kind of sere? Which stage is the pioneer, and which is the climax?
- What happens to the depth of the water along the sere, and why?
- Is this primary or secondary succession? Explain.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Succession is a gradual and fairly predictable change in the species composition of an area. It begins with pioneer species and ends in a stable climax community. Primary succession starts without soil. Secondary succession starts where soil is left, so it is faster. The mean waiting time in a stage is divided by its chance of moving on.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) Phytoplankton, submerged plants, floating plants, reed swamp, marsh meadow, shrubs, trees.
Step 2. (b) It is a hydrarch sere. The phytoplankton are the pioneers. The trees form the climax.
Step 3. (c) The water gets shallower. Dead plants and the mud that settles fill the pond. Each stage makes the place better for the next stage.
Step 4. (d) It is primary succession. A newly made pond has no earlier community.
Answer: (a) phytoplankton, submerged, floating, reed swamp, marsh meadow, shrubs, trees; (b) hydrarch, phytoplankton, trees; (c) shallower, because of the settled dead matter; (d) primary.
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