ENWC314 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Lupinus, Primary Succession, Volcanic Gas

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Entomology and Wildlife Conservation
• Course: ENWC314
• Professor: York Joanna

Document Summary

Community change has important repercussions both for conservation and for all forms of water and land management for agriculture, forestry, or recreation. There are 2 main types of changes in plant communities: directional changes and cyclical changes. Directional changes are the normal focus of succession on disturbed landscapes, such as when trees replace grasses and shrubs after a forest fire. Cyclical changes occur on a small scale of a few square meters and center on the death of a plant or a few individual plants. When stripped of its original vegetation by fire, flood, glaciation, or volcanic activity, an area of bare ground does not remain devoid of plants and animals for long. The area is rapidly colonized by a variety of pioneer species that subsequently modify one or more environmental factors. This modification of the environment may in turn allow additional species to become established.