Chapter 3.1, Problem 3MI

Summary Introduction

To fill:

The correct term in the given blanks

Introduction:

Ecological succession is the establishment of a new biological community. It of two types, primary and secondary. After the community reaches its peak, the number of organisms is controlled according to the distributions of the resources. There are many factors that control the population of a community, tolerance and limiting factors plays a major role in the survival of the organism.

Answer to Problem 3MI

The given blanks can be filled as follows:

S. no.	Correct term
1	Community
2	Limiting factor
3	Tolerance
4	Ecological succession
5	Primary succession
6	Climax community
7	Secondary succession

Explanation of Solution

In an ecological setting, there are many species, the members of a species makes up the population and different populations makes up a community. The community includes all the living organism present in the region. It includes all animals, plants, fungi and other microbes.

The population is acted upon by many factors, which include both biotic and abiotic factors. The factors that limit the growth of population after a certain number is known as the limiting factor. Also, the organisms have adaptation to their environment and depending on the environmental conditions, they can survive only if the factors lies in that specific range. This range, in which the organism can easily survive and reproduce is known as the tolerance. For example, fresh water fishes are adapted to low salinity and they cannot survive in sea because of high concentration of the salts.

In order to survive in the new environmental conditions, the organism has to adapt. So, when the environmental conditions are changed, the organism develops the character, which can counter the changes, which leads to replacement of the adapted organisms with the older ones. This is called an ecological succession, where a new biological community is developed.

Primary succession is a type of ecological succession, were the establishment of a community takes place where no vegetations were present, such as growth of biological community on a bare rock. As the time passes, the community becomes rich in different kinds of species and leads to establishment of a climax community, which is mature and stable.

In case, the a community is destroyed by a disturbing agent, such as fire or landslide, then another ecological succession will take place. As in this case, the vegetation was present before, there will be secondary succession, and it would also lead to the restoration of climax community over time.