Succession Flashcards
Bottom-up control
when abundances of trophic groups in nature are determined by the amount of energy available from producers
Top-down control
when the abundance of trophic groups is determined by the existence of predators at the top of the food web
Immediate disturbance hypothesis
more species are present in a community that occasionally experiences disturbances than in a community experiencing frequent or rare disturbances
Succession
the process by which the species composition of a community exchange over time
Seral stage
a stage of community change during the process of succession
Pioneer species
the earliest species to arrive at a site
Climax community
the final stage in the process of succession
Primary succession
the development of communities in habitats that are initially devoid of plants and organic soil, such as sand dunes, lava flows, and bare rock
Primary succession order
no life, pioneer species, intermediate species, then climax species
Facilitation
presence of one species increases the probability that a second species can become established
Inhibition
one species decreases the probability that a second species will become established
Priority effect
when the arrival of one species at a site affects the subsequent colonization of other species
Tolerance
The probability that a species can become established depends on its dispersal abilities and its ability to persist under the physical conditions of the environment
Community resistance
the amount that a community changes when acted upon by some disturbance, such as the addition or removal of species
Community resilience
the time it takes after a disturbance to return to original state
