EESC BC 1001x Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Climax Community, Types Of Volcanic Eruptions, Forest Ecology
Document Summary
Disturbance: a discrete event in time that disrupts ecosystems, communities, or populations. Examples of small scale: a few trees fall in a forest, ocean waves tear mussels from a rock, ground hog digs in a grassland. Gap is created providing a site for new growth. Proximity of seed sources, soil conditions,competition etc. , determine which invites massive re-colonization by opportunistic species species arrive. A healthy meadow acts as a giant sponge, helping to store water for gradual release during dry periods of summer and fall. The predictable recovery process after a disturbance that leads to the restoration of the biotic and abiotic processes of the area. This process is most easily visualized by examining the re-vegetation of the area. The replacement of one community by another over time; directional and predictable. Secondary or oldfield : succession after a disturbance. Aquatic: succession on water (ponds become forests eventually) Opportunistic species (fast growth, short-lived, large number of wind dispersed seeds,)