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Secondary Succession

Definition

Secondary succession refers to the process of ecological succession that occurs in an area where a previous community has been disturbed or destroyed, but the soil remains intact.

Analogy

Imagine you have a Lego city that gets knocked down by your little brother. After the destruction, you start building a new city using the same blocks and pieces, but with different buildings and arrangements. This is like secondary succession, where a new community develops in an area after it has been disturbed or damaged.

Related terms

Primary Succession: Primary succession is the process of ecological succession that occurs in areas where no ecosystem existed before, such as on bare rock surfaces or newly formed volcanic islands.

Disturbance: Disturbances are events that disrupt or alter an ecosystem, such as fires, hurricanes, logging activities, or human-induced changes.

Climax Community: A climax community refers to a stable and self-sustaining community of organisms that represents the end stage of ecological succession for a particular region.