Question

What is hydrarch succession?

Answer 1

Ecological succession is the process of change in the structure of species belonging to an ecological community over time. The time period can be decades or even millions of years. The change usually occurs following a disturbance or after colonization of a new habitat.A hydrarch succession is a type of plant succession that usually starts on shallow ponds or lakes.

Complete explanation:
Ecological succession is essential for the development and stability of an ecosystem. The biotic community is the most dynamic community and due to this there is a change constantly occurring in an ecosystem. These changes can create a community with equilibrium to the environment and are called a climax community.
Hence the steady and predictable changes in the species population in a given area are called ecological succession. During succession, some populations become more numerous and some decline and even disappear.
A succession that starts in the water and leads to the formation of a large aquatic climax community is called hydrarch succession. If the succession starts in shallow water, it can even lead to the development of a climax community on land.
An example for this is coniferous forests. It starts with small aquatic plants that are submerged in deep water. From these plants, willow thickets emerge along the shorelines. And eventually, conifer trees emerge above the willow thickets in drier soils.

Note:
Hydrarch succession, also known as hydrosere, usually starts from shallow ponds. Here Phytoplankton, Hydrilla, Vallisneria etc will be the pioneer community.Pioneer community means the very first species to colonize a barren environment. Here the climax community is usually forest or grassland. The succession usually involves intermediate or seral stages of many plants.