THE IMPORTANCE OF ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION IN THE GARDEN

The ecological succession It is a process of organization of a complex natural system within a biotope, in which a sequence of perceptible changes in communities occurs over time and space. It takes place through local colonizations and extinctions of species. Its stages are:

  1. Soil preparation.
  2. Establishment of pioneer species (bacteria, algae, fungi, insects…).
  3. Soil formation.
  4. Settlement of the first herbaceous species.
  5. Settlement of the first shrubs and trees.

Ecological succession and evolution occur on different timescales, with ecological succession generally being faster than evolution. Both processes tend to favor the replacement of generalist species with specialized ones; in general, they tend to produce an increase in ecosystem complexity. During the early stages of ecological succession, communities with simple food webs and low biodiversity are present, but over time these transform into complex ecosystems with more interactions and a greater richness and diversity of organisms.

Canary Garden: Central Campus