Primary succession | Definition, Stages, & Facts (2024)

primary succession, type of ecological succession (the evolution of a biological community’s ecological structure) in which plants and animals first colonize a barren, lifeless habitat. Species that arrive first in the newly created environment are called pioneer species, and through their interactions they build a simple initial biological community. This community becomes more complex as new species arrive. Primary succession is distinguished from secondary succession, which is the recovery of an existing biological community after a disturbance sets back the community’s ecological structure to an earlier stage.

Primary succession | Definition, Stages, & Facts (2)

Lava-sterilized landscapes, newly formed sand dunes, and rocks either deposited or scoured by retreating glaciers are examples of settings in which primary succession often occurs, because these places either lack soil or their soil cannot sustain life. On newly created volcanic islands, for example, after the rock cools, seeds blown by the wind may lodge in crevices, germinate, and take root. Often these first colonizing plants are weedy species, such as fast-growing grasses and lichens, that do not grow tall but do reproduce quickly. After these plants germinate and grow, they die and decompose, and their remains create pockets of soil in which other plants, as well as fungi, can become established. Over time, such fast-growing vegetation covers more and more of the island, and seeds from other, hardier, taller-growing plants arrive on the wind or are transported by birds that begin to use the island as a stopover during migration.

Primary succession | Definition, Stages, & Facts (3)

More From Britannica

What Is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Ecological Succession?

These new arrivals shade out sun-loving grasses, shrubs, and other pioneer species, and their cast-off parts decay and add to the soil, altering it by mixing with soil particles left by the decay of earlier plants. More plants and animals arrive (the latter rafting over on flotsam or flying from nearby islands or the mainland), and some become established on the island. The ecosystem changes with each new arrival. Over several decades, the biological community transitions from collections of pioneer and intermediate species to a climax community—that is, a relatively balanced ecological stage whose ecological structure and species composition are far less volatile than those of earlier stages.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.

Primary succession | Definition, Stages, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

Primary succession | Definition, Stages, & Facts? ›

Primary succession happens when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time. This can happen, for example, when lava cools and creates new rocks, or when a glacier retreats and exposes rocks without any soil. During primary succession, organisms must start from scratch.

What are the 6 steps of primary succession? ›

The six stages of primary succession are: Nudation, Invasion, Competition, Reaction, Stabilization and Climax community.

What is a fact about secondary succession? ›

Secondary succession occurs when the severity of disturbance is insufficient to remove all the existing vegetation and soil from a site. Many different kinds of disturbances, such as fire, flooding, windstorms, and human activities (e.g., logging of forests) can initiate secondary succession.

Why is primary succession longer? ›

Answer and Explanation:

Because the substrate already exists, secondary succession usually happens faster than primary succession. There is no soil in primary succession thus, it must form. This process takes a more extended period because pioneer species must invade the area, die, and soil formed due to this cycle.

What are 5 examples of primary succession? ›

Examples of Primary Succession
  • Volcanic eruptions.
  • Retreat of glaciers.
  • Flooding accompanied by severe soil erosion.
  • Landslides.
  • Nuclear explosions.
  • Oil spills.
  • Abandonment of a manmade structure, such as a paved parking lot.

Does succession ever stop? ›

Creator Jesse Armstrong confirmed his choice to end the show in an interview with the New Yorker, saying of the decision, "You know, there's a promise in the title of Succession. I've never thought this could go on forever. The end has always been kind of present in my mind.

What is step 2 of primary succession? ›

The labels I-VII represent the different stages of primary succession. I-bare rocks, II-pioneers (mosses, lichen, algae, fungi), III-annual herbaceous plants, IV-perennial herbaceous plants and grasses, V-shrubs, VI-shade intolerant trees, VII-shade tolerant trees.

Is the correct order of primary succession? ›

Answer and Explanation: The landscape begins bare and lifeless, but thereafter, pioneer species, soils, some florals, shrubs, and then trees develop, in that order, upon the barren landscape. Pioneer species refer to simple plants like algae, fungi, lichens, and moss. Then, thin layers of soils build.

What are the 8 stages of secondary succession? ›

The stages of secondary succession are as follows:
  • A growing ecosystem exists.
  • An event occurs that destroys a lot of the existing growth.
  • The event stops, as does the destruction.
  • The soil remains.
  • Time passes.
  • Regrowth starts to occur.
  • Fast-growing plants and/or trees start growing.

What are two facts about primary succession? ›

Primary succession happens when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time. This can happen, for example, when lava cools and creates new rocks, or when a glacier retreats and exposes rocks without any soil. During primary succession, organisms must start from scratch.

Which type of succession is faster? ›

Secondary succession is a faster process than primary succession because some cones or seeds likely remain after the disturbance.

Does secondary succession happen faster? ›

Secondary succession proceeds faster than primary succession, in part because soil survives the disturbance. As a result, new and surviving vegetation can regrow rapidly. Secondary succession often follows a wildfire, hurricane, or other natural disturbance.

What are the two main types of succession? ›

ecological succession, the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different types of succession—primary and secondary—have been distinguished.

What three things can cause primary succession to start? ›

Lava-sterilized landscapes, newly formed sand dunes, and rocks either deposited or scoured by retreating glaciers are examples of settings in which primary succession often occurs, because these places either lack soil or their soil cannot sustain life.

What comes first in primary succession? ›

While this will depend somewhat on the exact environment, the first organisms present during primary succession are typically organisms such as lichens, algae, mosses, fungi, and other pioneer species that are very hardy.

What are the 4 steps of secondary succession? ›

In the recently logged coniferous forest, secondary succession can be observed in the form of Seral communities. In a community, potential natural community, late seral, mid seral, and early seral are the 4 well-known stages of seral community formation.

What are the stages of the succession process? ›

The 5 Stages of Succession are Nudation, Invasion, Competition and Co-action, Reaction, and Climax or Stabilization. At the same location, a succession of biotic communities naturally emerges one after another until the Climax stage is reached.

What are the steps of primary succession in the correct order? ›

The correct order of steps in primary succession is as follows:
  1. Bare rock is exposed due to a volcanic eruption or glacier.
  2. The pioneer species, like lichen, arrive.
  3. Soil starts forming and mosses begin growing.
  4. Small plants start to grow.
  5. Deciduous trees move in.
  6. Evergreen trees start growing.
Mar 27, 2020

What is the sequence of events that occur during primary succession? ›

Lichens → Mosses → Grasses → Shrubs → Trees.

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