Succession

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Fundamental of Microbial Ecology Microbial Ecology Introduction Historical Aspects Importance of Microbial Ecology Common Terms Used in Microbial Ecology Concepts of Microbial Ecology (Energy Flow) Bio-Geochemical Cycle (BGC) Attachment Properties of Microbes Development of Microbial Communities

Succession

Succession
Communities of organisms do not spring into existence suddenly but develop gradually through a series of stages until they reach a state of maturity. This process of community development is called succession. The individual populations of a community occupy the niches in the ecosystem. With time, some populations are replaced by other populations that are better adapted to fill the ecological niches. Thus succession is the replacement of onecommunity by another as the condition within the habitat changes

The changes may be brought about by the organism itself (by reduction in nutrient and oxygen level or changes in the pH) or they can be imposed from outside (climatic factors). The changes in population are not sudden. The types of interrelationship among populations in a community as well as adaptations within a population contribute to the ecological stability of the community. Some interrelationships involving microbial population are loose associations where one microbial population can replace the other (rhizosphere) whereas others are tight associations where one microbial population cannot replace another (symbiotic association of Rhizobium).

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What Determines Diversity Species Diversity Indices (SDI) Succession and Colonisation Colonisation Per-Emptive Colonisation Succession Outcome of Succession Types of Succession Trends in Succession

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