Pioneer species
Definition
Pioneer Species is a group of species that are first to colonize a new habitat created by a previous disturbance. These disturbances could be a fire, flood, or volcanic activity that causes very fine or non-existent soil, high heat, or lack of water.
Ecological Succession
This is the process that allows pioneer species to become apparent in disturbed habitats. This is a change in structure that occurs within a community or ecosystem and has multiple phases dependent on different patterns of regrowth within an ecosystem. Ecosystems advance until they reach a climax community where all of the resources are efficiently used and the total mass of vegetation reaches a peak. The concept of ecological succession has two types; primary succession and secondary succession. Primary succession is when soils are not yet formed in an area, allowing for no vegetation to be grown. Over time, small organisms and erosion break down these rocks into soils allowing for the introduction of pioneer species into the area. Today, pioneer species are brought about through secondary succession, a process that as long as the soil is not destroyed within a natural disaster-affected ecosystem can flourish with pioneer species. [2]
[2]
Pioneer Flora
Flora are the first to become pioneer species across all types of natural disaster sites. Due to a lack of nutrients in the soil most pioneer species have to be hardy plants with adaptions such as long roots and the ability to live in harsh conditions with a lack of water and sunlight. The seeds also have to be able to germate easily, allowing speices to propagate even after years of dormancy. Their lifecycles must also be short
Pioneer Fauna
References
[1] Sataksig. (2019, February 3). Pioneer plants: What is it, and what does it do? Earth Buddies. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://earthbuddies.net/pioneer-plants/
[2] Editors, B. D., (2019, October 5). Ecological succession - definition, examples and types. Biology Dictionary. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://biologydictionary.net/ecological-succession/