Question

What is succession? Discuss succession in ponds.

Answer 1

An ecosystem is formed by organisms and their interaction with the biotic and abiotic factors in their environment. In a forest ecosystem, the landscape is covered with a diverse variety of plants and animals. However, this landscape came into being from a single rock over some time. Thus, we can say that succession is the order in which species appear in an ecosystem over time.

Complete answer:
Succession is the chain of changes that happens in an ecological community over time. Two types of succession are known. Primary succession is when organisms first appear as part of a newly formed colony on a bare landscape whereas secondary succession is when recolonization happens after an area that was previously colonized got disrupted.
Ecologists have believed that after a series of changes in a community a stable final state is obtained which is called the climax community. This is determined by the climate of the ecosystem. However, this may not always be the case as the ecosystem may experience regular disturbances such that a climax community may never be formed.
Succession in Ponds
The pond can be formed from a single hole where water can collect. There is a possibility that if left alone, the hole can be filled with dirt and debris leading to the formation of land. But this can take many years.
Succession in ponds occurs in stages. In the first stage as the pond develops seeds are carried in by birds and animals that come to ponds for water. As more organisms start growing, debris starts collecting at the bottom of the pond leading to the appearance of submergent vegetation. Over a while, in the third stage as plants grow, die, and decompose, the debris layer increases. In the last stage, the submerged plant grows across the water surface leading to the formation of a marsh, later a swamp, and then to the formation of land.

Note: As climax species are the last species to grow in an ecosystem, similarly pioneer species are one of the first species that occupy a previously uninhabited land. The entire series of communities that is a characteristic of a given site is called a sere.