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5. Development
Succession is the sequential development of a plant community
When an area of land is completely devastated by short term external factors such as fire or disease it will eventually recover vegetation and animal presence. This will occur via the process of succession whereby pioneer species initially colonise the bare land, usually under adverse conditions, and these in turn give way to other plants until eventually an equilibrium situation is reached. A good example of succession is seen in the colonisation following the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. This eruption 'sterilised' the islands, and in 1930 further volcanic activity created the new island of Anak Krakatau. Sugar cane was the first land plant to colonise this island. It was followed by casuarina, forming patches of dense woodland, which was slowly replaced by 'secondary' rainforest species, such as the fig tree. It may take hundreds of years for a truly 'primary' rain forest to appear.
What is succession?