For this lab, you need:
Google Earth
A browser with Adobe Flash Player
The ability to access videos online
An Introduction to Ecological Succession
Ecosystems are always changing. Ecologists and geographers are interested in this change. Is the change beneficial or harmful? To which species? Can we predict what an ecosystem will look like in the future? Succession is how ecosystems form and change over time. Succession comes in two types:
Primary succession: where there is no ecosystem and no soil, so life is starting from “scratch” in an area.
Secondary succession: where an ecosystem has been disturbed, from something as small as a falling tree, to something as big as a forest fire, but the soil remains intact.
Please watch this video that’s just over 10 minutes about ecological succession.