AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -An increase in species diversity. As succession proceeds in an ecosystem, there is an increase in population density. This is accompanied by what other change? Trees have replaced shrubs and grasses.

Detailed explanation-2: -Species diversity decreases during succession. Communities in which such large patches are rare are characterized by a large number of species that reach the canopy through small gaps and realtively few which regenerate in the large clearings. Diversity increases during succession following a large scale disturbance.

Detailed explanation-3: -Ecological succession is the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time. Gradually, these communities replace one another until a “climax community”-like a mature forest-is reached, or until a disturbance, like a fire, occurs. Ecological succession is a fundamental concept in ecology.

Detailed explanation-4: -Since ecological succession increases the number of species living in an area, it also increases biodiversity. For example, areas that have been through heavy mining are usually stripped to barren rock. Over time, seeds drift in through wind, water, or pollinators, and these seeds can colonize the barren rock.

Detailed explanation-5: -At a global scale, change in species diversity is only affected by two processes, extinction and speciation, and the net balance between these two processes determines whether diversity is increasing or decreasing on Earth. At regional scales, diversity is also increased by speciation and decreased by extinction.