Characteristics of Ecological Succession

Regardless of habitat or starting point, every episode of ecological succession shares a recognisable set of characteristics. It is a systematic process that produces specific, traceable changes in a plant community's structure. It results directly from changing abiotic and biotic factors acting on the site. It transforms an unstable community into a stable one over time. As it proceeds, species diversity, total biomass, niche specialisation and the humus content of the soil all increase gradually. Feeding relationships grow more complex too, progressing from a simple food chain toward an elaborate food web. Life forms present on the site shift from simpler, lower organisms toward higher ones. …