13-6 What is succession?
Aim: What is succession?
OBJECTIVE: Describe how communities of organisms develop.
Key Terms
succession (suhk-SEHSH-uhn): gradual change in populations of organisms that occurs when the
environment changes
climax (KLY-maks) community: last community in a succession
Lesson Summary
• A slow change in organism populations is called succession.
• As the environment in an area changes, the populations of organisms also change.
• Populations change in a series of stages, ending with a climax community.
• One example of succession is open field, shrub land, pine forest, hardwood forest.
• Succession can also occur in water. A lake or pond may fill up with dead plants and animals,
eventually turning into a marsh, then grasses, and shrubs.
OBJECTIVE: Describe how communities of organisms develop.
Key Terms
succession (suhk-SEHSH-uhn): gradual change in populations of organisms that occurs when the
environment changes
climax (KLY-maks) community: last community in a succession
Lesson Summary
• A slow change in organism populations is called succession.
• As the environment in an area changes, the populations of organisms also change.
• Populations change in a series of stages, ending with a climax community.
• One example of succession is open field, shrub land, pine forest, hardwood forest.
• Succession can also occur in water. A lake or pond may fill up with dead plants and animals,
eventually turning into a marsh, then grasses, and shrubs.