BRAINCAKEPrimary Succession
Primary succession starts on land that has never had soil or a community before. Examples include bare rock left by a volcanic eruption or a retreating glacier, and newly formed sand dunes.
Pioneer species colonise first. On bare rock these are often lichens, and on sand dunes marram grass. Pioneers have adaptations to hostile conditions, such as:
• producing large numbers of seeds or spores that are easily dispersed by wind;
• rapid germination and growth;
• tolerance of extreme conditions, such as drought, high light or high salt;
• the ability to photosynthesise, so they do not depend on other organisms for food;
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More in Populations in Ecosystems
- Systematic Sampling along Transects
- Mark-Release-Recapture
- Assumptions of Mark-Release-Recapture
- Succession
- Secondary Succession
- Climax Communities
- Conservation and Succession
- Managing Succession in Conservation
All 20 lessons in Populations in Ecosystems · All AQA A-level Biology topics