AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A climax community is the “endpoint” of succession within the context of a particular climate and geography. In the midwestern U.S., for example, such a community might be a hardwood forest with oaks and hickories as the dominant tree species.

Detailed explanation-2: -A climax community is one that has reached the stable stage. When extensive and well defined, the climax community is called a biome. Examples are tundra, grassland, desert, and the deciduous, coniferous, and tropical rain forests.

Detailed explanation-3: -An oft-cited example of a climax community is the Sonoran Desert, spanning parts of the United States and Mexico in North America. Most species of plants and animals found in this desert are unique to it, and play a crucial role in forming the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

Detailed explanation-4: -Forest ecologists recognize four phases of forest succession, or what is sometimes called forest development. These phases are: (i) stand initiation, (ii) stem exclusion, (iii) understory reinitiation, and (iv) steady state.