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-- E c o l o g i c a l s u c c e s s i o n --
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| Q 1. | ||
| I am currently studying the principles of ecological succession in terrestrial environments and would like to know if succession occurs similarly in the ocean. I assume that succession does occur on the ocean bottom, but since the variables are different from those found on land, how is succession affected on the bottom at any given depth? Also, does ecological succession occur at various water levels? |
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| Q&A 1. | I am currently studying the principles of ecological succession in terrestrial environments and would like to know if succession occurs similarly in the ocean. I assume that succession does occur on the ocean bottom, but since the variables are different from those found on land, how is succession affected on the bottom at any given depth? Also, does ecological succession occur at various water levels? Clinton, Montana |
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| Ecological succession occurs at sea as it does on land. Extensive studies have been made of so-called "fouling" organisms on panels permanently exposed to the sea. The succession there is from a bacterial film to algae and then to larger organisms such as barnacles and sponges. A similar succession has been observed on rocks of the intertidal zone, for which see The Ecology of Rocky Shores, J. R. Lewis, English University Press, Ltd., London. The living communities that occupy different water levels of the open ocean undoubtedly change, but such changes are extremely difficult to study. Finding which midwater animals live in association with one another is a first step, and this is being done at various research centers using computers. Determining the trophic relationships and variations in populations involved is, of course, a vastly more complex task. |
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