1. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?
Ecology Lesson 5
What is the difference between primary and
secondary succession?

2. Do Now Have you ever observed a vacant lot or an
untended garden over time? What changes
did you see?

3. Essential Question What is the difference between primary and
secondary succession?

4. Vocabulary Succession
The series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time.
Primary succession
Series of changes that occur in an area where no soil or organism exist.
Pioneer species
First species to grow in an area with little or no soil.
Secondary succession
Series of changes that occur in a area where the ecosystem has been disturbed, but soil and organisms still exist.

5. Assignment
Read pages
Complete the diagram.

6. Summarization Activity
What is primary Succession?

7. Do Now
Review your diagrams from yesterday.

8. Definition
Examples
Stages
Primary Succession

9. Definition
Series of changes that occur in an area where no soil or organism exist.
Examples
New islands formed by the eruption of volcanoes
Area of rock uncovered by melting sheets of ice
Stages
Volcanic eruption.
Pioneer species inhabit the land.
Soil is formed.
Fertile soil and maturing plants
Primary Succession

10. Definition
Examples
Stages
Secondary Succession

11. Definition
Series of changes that occur in a area where the ecosystem has been disturbed, but soil and organisms still exist.
Examples
Fires
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Human activity- farming, logging, mining
Stages
Grasses and wildflowers take over field.
Pine seedlings and other plant replace grasses.
A forest develops
Mature trees
Secondary Succession

12. Assignment
With a partner and using your diagrams, write an explanation to contrast primary and secondary succession.

13. Explanation student examples

14. Answer the essential question
What is the difference between primary and
secondary succession?

15. Homework Read Changes in the Communities.
Complete explorer page \..\Ecology\ecology\72-73.doc

16. Summarization Activity
Complete explorer page 74.