Embedded Files
Read and interact with the page. Answer all questions on your answer sheet.
Read and interact with the page. Answer all questions on your answer sheet.
Introduction
Introduction
In September 2011, a wildfire burned over 32,000 acres in Bastrop county. Almost all of Bastrop State Park was affected by the fire. The image shows part of the park a few days after the fire.
Click the image for more about Bastrop State Park and its recovery from the 2011 fire.
Source: Image courtesy of Ryan Depew, National Fire Protection Agency.
Interactive Exploration
Interactive Exploration
← Click on the button to go to the Ecological Succession Interactive. Use the interactive to explore ecological succession.
As you complete the activity, answer the questions on your answer sheet.
Succession Video
Succession Video
→ Watch the video about ecological succession, and answer the questions on your answer sheet. ←
Ecological Succession Reading
Ecological Succession Reading
Read the following passage. Answer the questions on your answer sheet.
Primary Succession
Primary Succession
Primary succession occurs where no life previously existed. It occurs in an area with no soil. Examples of primary succession include areas where
lava has hardened and formed new rock,
new sand dunes have formed, or
bare rock has been exposed after a glacier has retreated or melted.
Because soil must be formed before most plants can grow, it takes much longer for organisms to appear during primary succession than secondary succession. Some of the first organisms to appear during primary succession, the pioneer species, include lichen, algae, fungi, and mosses. These organisms can help break down rock and form soil.
Secondary Succession
Secondary Succession
Secondary succession occurs in an area where soil already exists and life previously occurred. Because there is already soil and because some organisms may survive a disturbance, life generally returns much faster during secondary succession.
Secondary succession follows some sort of disturbance to the environment. In the Engage images and the Explore video, secondary succession was observed after a wildfire. Fire is not the only disturbance that can result in secondary succession. What other natural events or human activities could result in secondary succession?
How are animals affected by succession?
How are animals affected by succession?
Primary succession occurs in an area where there was previously no life, so there are very few or no animals in an area when primary succession begins.
Secondary succession occurs after a disturbance in an area with plant and animal life. In addition to destroying the plant community, a disturbance may kill many animals in the area. Animals that survive may move to new areas to find shelter, water, and food.
Return of wildlife
Return of wildlife
As plant species appear during succession, wildlife will follow. Insects appear early in succession with the first plant species, such as grasses. As succession continues, small herbivores and omnivores appear, followed by larger predators.
Let's Practice!
Let's Practice!
Match each ecological succession vocabulary term with the correct description.
Review your notes and make sure you wrote down accurate definitions for these terms.
To retry the activity, reload the page and then select "No" when the "Resume" dialog box appears.
Application
Application
Garden Succession
Students observed a garden plot over one school year and recorded their observations in a garden journal. Instead of planting seeds, the students left this garden alone to observe what happened over time. The picture shows the garden plot near the end of the school year.
The interactive activity below shows a selection of observations recorded in a garden journal throughout the school year.
Source: Image courtesy of Dodie Resendez
Use your knowledge of ecological succession to sequence the garden journal observations below.
→ How might the garden change if the area remains undisturbed for a long period of time? Sketch on your answer sheet. ←
Evaluate: What did you learn?
Evaluate: What did you learn?
→ When your answers are correct, copy the completed Venn diagram on your answer sheet. ←
Use the interactive Venn diagram to compare primary succession and secondary succession.
After you place each descriptor, click "Submit" to check your answer.
To reset, reload the page and then select "No" when the "Resume Quiz" dialog box appears.
From Texas Gateway for Online Resources by TEA (https://www.texasgateway.org/resource/ecological-succession-0)
Report abuse