Ecological Succession

Equilibrium & Disequilibrium

Equilibrium
Stable/balanced
Around carrying capacity

Disequilibrium
Change in population size
Limiting factors cause a change
Carrying capacity changes

Succession
A change as a result
of a disturbance
1. Primary
Severe disturbance
(no life)
New community built
from scratch
Pioneer species

Succession
2. Secondary
Less severe
disturbance
(fire/logging/farming)
Existing community
is altered, not all
destroyed; soil
remains

Climax Community
Stable
community
that completes
the
succession
process

Invasive Species
Non-native/exotic organisms that spreads
widely in a community
No limiting factors to control population
Native species are commonly eliminated
through predation/herbivory/competition

Examples in Great Lakes: Zebra mussel,

Asian carp, Sea lamprey

Sea Lamprey
eel-like fish native to Atlantic
Ocean
entered Great Lakes through
the Welland Canal - 1921.
contributed greatly to the
decline of whitefish and lake
trout in the Great Lakes.
Since 1956, the governments
of the US and Canada,
working jointly through the
Great Lakes Fishery
Commission, have
implemented a successful sea
lamprey control program.
sea lamprey management
includes lampricide control,
construction of barriers in
streams to deny sea lampreys'
entry, and an experimental
program to reduce spawning
success by releasing
sterilized-male sea lampreys.

Zebra Mussel
small, fingernail-sized mussels
native to the Caspian Sea region
of Asia.
transported to the Great Lakes via
ballast water from a transoceanic
vessel that was subsequently
discharged into Lake St. Clair,
near Detroit, where the mussel
was discovered in 1988.
Since that time, they have spread
rapidly to all of the Great Lakes
and waterways in many states, as
well as Ontario and Quebec.
Diving ducks and freshwater drum
eat zebra mussels, but will not
significantly control them.
Likely means of spread:
Microscopic larvae may be carried
in livewells or bilgewater. Adults
can attach to boats or boating
equipment that is in the water.

Asian Carp
large, extremely prolific, and
consume vast amounts of food.
can weigh up to 100 pounds,
and can grow to a length of
more than four feet.
well-suited to the climate of the
Great Lakes region, which is
similar to their native Asian
habitats.
Two species of Asian carp -the bighead and silver -- were
imported by catfish farmers in
the 1970's to remove algae and
suspended matter out of their
ponds.
During large floods in the early
1990s, many of the catfish farm
ponds overflowed their banks,
and the Asian carp were
released into local waterways in
the Mississippi River basin.