How does ecological succession maintain equilibrium in an ecosystem

Nuclear explosions. Oil spills. Abandonment of a manmade structure, such as a paved parking lot. Two different types of succession— primary and secondary —have been distinguished. Ecological succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time.

It is a phenomenon or process by which an ecological community undergoes more or less orderly and predictable changes following a disturbance or the initial colonization of a new habitat. The ultimate goal of ecological succession. Ecological succession is not guaranteed to stop in any area due to the possibility of natural disasters, climate change, and disease.

Ecological succession refers to a more-or-less predictable and orderly change in the composition or structure of an ecological community. Facilitation is one of the mechanisms by which succession takes place. So how does human activity cause secondary succession to take place? Well, humans cause a lot of destruction to the natural world, through deforestation, starting forest fires, farming, and building things. So when we destroy the environment, we allow a new environment where secondary succession begins to take place.

An example of equilibrium is in economics when supply and demand are equal. An example of equilibrium is when you are calm and steady. An example of equilibrium is when hot air and cold air are entering the room at the same time so that the overall temperature of the room does not change at all. The smallest land areas are occupied by tundra and temperate grassland ecosystems , and the largest land area is occupied by tropical forest. The most productive ecosystems are temperate and tropical forests, and the least productive are deserts and tundras.

It is important to remember that succession is a process that is happening all around us all the time. It is the means through which the natural world recovers from disturbance , and it is a process vital to the survival of plant and animal communities around the world. Example A - A dirt field is plowed and left over the summer.

Over the summer, weeds start to grow on the field. Heat loss or heat gain is a function of surface area. Since small animals have a larger surface area relative to their volume , they tend to lose body heat very fast when it is cold outside; then they have to expend much energy to generate body heat [a lot of food goes into heat generation] through metabolism.

This is the main reason why very small animals are rarely found in polar regions. Migrate The organism can move away temporarily from the stressful habitat to a more hospitable area and return when a stressful period is over Every winter the famous Keoladeo National Park Bhartpur in Rajasthan hosts thousands of migratory birds coming from Siberia and other extremely cold northern regions.

Suspend In bacteria, fungi and lower plants, various kinds of thick-walled spores are formed which help them to survive unfavourable conditions — these germinate on the availability of suitable environment. In higher plants, seeds and some other vegetative reproductive structures serve as means to tide over periods of stress besides helping in dispersal. In animals, the organism, if unable to migrate, might avoid the stress by escaping in time.

The familiar case of bears going into hibernation during winter is an example of an escape in time. Some snails and fish go into aestivation to avoid summer-related problems — heat and desiccation. Under unfavourable conditions, many zooplankton species in lakes and ponds are known to enter diapause, a stage of suspended development. In ecology , the term homeostasis applies to the tendency for a biological system to resist changes. Ecosystems are capable of maintaining their state of equilibrium.

They can regulate their own species structure and functional processes. This capacity of the ecosystem of self-regulation is known as homeostasis. For example, in a pond ecosystem, if the population of zooplankton increases, they consume a large number of the phytoplankton and as a result, food would become scarce for zooplankton.

When the number of zooplanktons is reduced because of starvation, the phytoplankton population start increasing. After some time, the population size of zooplankton also increases, and this process continues at all the trophic levels of the food chain. Note that in a homeostatic system, negative feedback mechanism induced by the limiting resource here its scarcity of food is responsible for maintaining stability in an ecosystem.

However, the homeostatic capacity of ecosystems is not unlimited as well as not everything in an ecosystem is always well regulated. Sharing is Caring!! Newsletter Updates Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss an important update!!

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Kate M. Dec 29, Explanation: Ecological succession is the term that expresses how a community changes over time in regards to the composition and dominant species found in that community. Related questions How can ecological succession change a population?

What is a climax community? Why does secondary succession occur faster than primary succession?