Question

Select the correct sequence of succession in a pond
A. Submerged plants → floating plants → red swamp stage → sedges
B. Floating plants → submerged plants → red swamp stage → sedges
C. Red swamp stage → sedges→ floating plants → submerged plants
D. Sedges → red swamp stage → floating plants → submerged plants

Answer 1

Ecological succession means the natural development of a series of biotic communities, one after the other, in the same area, till a permanent climax community is established. The ecological succession is also called biotic succession. Ecological succession is of two types: primary succession and secondary succession.

Complete answer:
The submerged plants such as hydrilla follow the plankton. They are anchored in the mud. Silt and the decayed organic matter go on gathering under these plants, raising the bottom and also increasing its fertility. Now, the rooted plants with floating leaves and underground stems. They include Nymphea because of their shade, the submerged plants shift to the deeper water in the lake. Their growth makes water richer in minerals and organic matter and renders it suitable for free-floating plants. The free-floating plants add more dead organic matter that raises the bottom further. The shallow water at the periphery almost turns into a marsh. The amphibious plants lose a lot of water by transpiration and add a large amount of decaying organic matter by their death so that the marsh ultimately changes into the soil. Shrubs invade the peripheral area and gradually replace the marshy plants by shading them. The shrubs are finally succeeded by the trees that shade out the shrubs
There are concentric rings of seral communities around a lake and each community makes water shallower with debris, enabling the next seral community in the succession to invade. The succession progresses toward the center of the lake, converting it into peat filled bog and finally a dryland forest.
So, the correct answer is option A, i.e., Submerged plants → floating plants → red swamp stage → sedges.

Note: A pond or alike may begin as a body of clear water with sandy bottom and shores almost free of vegetation. Surrounding streams bring soil into the lake, replacing its sandy bottom with mud and manure. Vegetation grows up along the sides of the lake and gradually progresses into the lake, making it a marsh and finally dry land.