Disturbance and Succession Flashcards
What is disturbance?
Any process that destroys plant biomass
What factors of disturbance influence its impact on a community?
Severity, frequency, spatial scale of the disturbance, community resistance and community resilience
What is Community Resilience
the community can recover from a disturbance and return to its pre-disturbed state
What is Community Resistance
members within a community have the ability to maintain its structure and/or the function in the face of disturbance
What is succession?
The non-seasonal, directional and continuous pattern of change in the species found at a site following a disturbance, biotic agent, or the formation of new habitat
What defines whether succession is primary or secondary?
Primary succession occurs over new geological substrate. Often a sterile environment
Secondary succession occurs over a disturbed site where some life still exists
What are types of Primary succession disturbances?
volcanoes, melting glaciers, newly formed sand dunes
What are types of Secondary succession disturbances?
forest fire, clear cuts
What is a climax community?
A late successional community that remains stable until disrupted by a disturbance
What is Hysteresis?
An inability to shift back to the original community type, even when the original conditions are restored
What are alternative stable states in succession?
different communities that developed in the same area under similar conditions
What is facilitation in succession?
A species makes the environment less suitable for early species but more suitable for late species
What is tolerance in succession?
A species makes the environment less suitable for early species but has no effect on later species
What is inhibition in succession?
A species makes the environment less suitable for all species
