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Ecological succession occurs in a cycle, and for the 

most part, it starts off with bare rock. Throughout this 

book, I will follow the journey of a hardwood forest 

from bare rock to a mature homeostatic community 

through primary and secondary succession.

We start with bare rock. You may be thinking that it 

has been millions of years, so why would bare rock 

still be exposed? Well, glaciers are constantly 

receding, that may expose bare rock, and new islands 

can be created through volcanic eruptions. Of course, 

primary succession does not always have to start with 

bare rock, in different environments, there may be a 

different image of a desolate, barren environment. It 

is different in each biome. There are no organic 

compounds. As long as there is no soil to begin with, 

it is primary succession.

First, pioneer organisms inhabit the area, because they 

don't require soil to survive. The pioneer organisms are 

the first biiotic factors in the community. In our case, 

lichens and mosses will first colonize the bare rock.The 

pioneer organisms are different in every biome. Pioneer 

organisms are usually producers, meaning they 

undergo photosynthesis using radiant energy from the 

sun. They will break down the rock into soil, and when 

they die, they will become part of the soil they helped 

to create. This breakdown of the rock into soil will help 

the environment to support larger plants, and animals.

After the lichens and mosses break down the rock, the 

environment is then suitable for grasses and smaller 

heterotrophs to reside in the area.   The new organisms 

in the area die and the soil receives more and more 

nutrients from the biomass produced. It creates 

compost from the dead plants and animals. The 

environment grows bigger and bigger, with the first 

organisms in a food web/chain.

The soil can then support larger trees. The first trees 

to grow really like sunshine, and they form a canopy 

above the forest floor. Then, the plants that grow on 

the forest floor don't receive much sunlight. The  

smaller plants that love sunlight die out.

We reach the end of our path in primary succession. 

As is inevitable in any society, a natural disaster will 

disturb the balance. However, there is always 2 sides 

to every coin, this natural disaster sets the scene for 

secondary succession to take place.

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