3.2 Study Guide Flashcards
Ecological succession
Ecological succession is the process of how species compositions change in an ecological community over time.
Primary succession
Primary succession occurs after the initial colonization of a newly created habitat with no living organisms.
Secondary succession
Secondary succession is the secondary ecological succession of a plant’s life.
Pioneer species
Pioneer species are resilient species that are the first to colonize barren environments, or to repopulate disrupted biodiverse steady-state ecosystems as part of ecological succession.
Seral stages
Seral stage (status): a stage of secondary successional development (secondary suc- cession refers to an ecological process of progressive changes in a plant community after stand-initiating disturbance).
Climax community
A climax community is the “endpoint” of succession within the context of a particular climate and geography. In the midwestern U.S., for example, such a community might be a hardwood forest with oaks and hickories as the dominant tree species.
Species Richness
Species richness is the number of different species represented in an ecological community, landscape or region.
Species Evenness
Species evenness refers to the measure of the relative abundance of different species within a community. It takes into account both the number of species present and their proportions, providing insights into the diversity and dominance of the community.
Genetic Diversity
Genetic variation refers to differences among the genomes of members of the same species. A genome is all the hereditary information—all the genes—of an organism
Important differences between primary and secondary succession
Primary succession occurs in areas where there was no previous soil or vegetation, while secondary succession occurs in areas where there was previous soil and vegetation. Primary succession is the process of ecological succession that occurs in areas where there was no previous soil or vegetation.
Calculate the Shannon-Wiener Index value for a community
The Shannon-Weiner Species Diversity Index is calculated by taking the number of each species, the proportion each species is of the total number of individuals, and sums the proportion times the natural log of the proportion for each species.
Give examples of primary and secondary succession
Some examples of primary succession include the formation of a new ecosystem after a volcano, glacier outbursts, or a nuclear explosion. Some examples of secondary succession include succession after fire, harvesting, logging, or abandonment of land or the renewal after a disease outbreak.
