Question

What are some examples of primary succession?

Answer 1

Hint: Primary succession is a type of ecological succession that takes place in an environment that is recently formed and lacks habitable soil and is colonized for the first time by living beings. It does not occur from the pre-existing sources.

Complete answer:
-Primary succession is a series of events occurring in order to develop a stable ecosystem. It occurs in a region that was initially barren and showed no signs of pre-existing life.
-The new environment is usually formed as a result of natural events like volcanic eruptions.
-In primary succession, the previously unoccupied habitat is first colonized by a few pioneer species which are often microbes, lichens, and mosses. It requires species to colonize the area from outside.
-Pioneers that initiate primary succession must be able to establish and grow on substrates that are nutrient-poor and that have unfavorable moisture conditions. The most extreme sites are unweathered rock surfaces, where colonization may be limited by cyanobacteria, lichens.
-These algae, lichen, and fungi are the dominant ones but are often replaced by the plants that are better adapted to conditions that are less harsh, the vascular plants like shrubs and grasses come under this category as they are adapted to live in soil rich in minerals. As the amount of succession exhibited the level of water and nutrients increases.
-Spores of lichen or fungus are spread onto the land of rocks. The smaller particles are formed after the rocks are broken down. This results in the accumulation of the organic matter that helps in the growth of herbaceous plants like grass, herbs, and ferns. These plants further improve the habitat by creating more organic matter when they die and providing habitats for insects and other animals.
-One good example where the primary succession occurs is after a volcano has erupted. The lava flows into the ocean and hardens into a new land that is first colonized by pioneer organisms, like algae, which pave the way for later, less hardy plants, such as hardwood trees, facilitating pedogenesis. The other examples include:- retreating of glaciers, landslides, nuclear explosions, oil spills, etc.
-Primary succession proceeds slowly because early colonists often must transform the environment before other species can become established.

Note:
Sites richer in mineral nutrients, which may contain some residual organic soil, such as the depositional zones of glacial moraines, are often colonized by herbaceous species and grasses with faster growth rates. The most extreme sites are exposed to cyanobacteria, lichens, and bryophytes.