BISC 204 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: High Availability, Humus, Primary Succession
8 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Very well studied (from the first day) One side of the mountain was completely swept from a landslide. Example of primary succession (on humus plain) % cover and # species started from 0 in 1980, however it quickly shot up in only a couple of years. High sunlight (no plants/trees providing cover so no shading) The inhospitable conditions and dispersal (of plant seeds etc. ) Good dispersers: small seeds meaning longer dispersal distances. Ability to withstand harsh conditions: large seeds meaning better germination success. Notice the tradeoffs between small and large seeds. The first plant to appear, it is a pea plant. It can fix nitrogen via symbiosis relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. This encouraged the establishment of other plants because lupine patches provided carbon and nitrogen to nutrient-poor soil. This produces a very big seed, allowing for better germination success. The roots from these plants increase the moisture of the soil, encouraging other plants to establish.
