Potential Primary Succession in the Taiga Biome: Glacier Movement.
The most recent case of primary succession would have been glacial movement. The glaciers formed permafrost with the existing soil, and this caused the surrounding plant roots to be frozen, ultimately killing off the plants. Because the base of the energy pyramid was broken down, any other organisms that survived the extremely cold weather would have died from starvation. Flashforward thousands of years, the glaciers are receding, exposuring barren Earth with not even soil. A whole new ecosystem will grow back over the course of thousands of years, but nothing like the one that existed before the Ice Age, because the biochemical processes must be completely restored, along with erosion needed to make soil so plants can begin to grow back to support other organisms.
The most recent case of primary succession would have been glacial movement. The glaciers formed permafrost with the existing soil, and this caused the surrounding plant roots to be frozen, ultimately killing off the plants. Because the base of the energy pyramid was broken down, any other organisms that survived the extremely cold weather would have died from starvation. Flashforward thousands of years, the glaciers are receding, exposuring barren Earth with not even soil. A whole new ecosystem will grow back over the course of thousands of years, but nothing like the one that existed before the Ice Age, because the biochemical processes must be completely restored, along with erosion needed to make soil so plants can begin to grow back to support other organisms.
Secondary Succession in the Taiga Biome: The Chernobyl Disaster:
This was a secondary succession in the taiga ecosystem in the Soviet Union (Current-day Ukraine) The extremely high radiation from an explosion at a Chernobyl power plant caused massive levels of radiation detected in the surrounding ecosystem, which turned the areas affected into a barren wasteland with only poisoned soil.
This was a secondary succession in the taiga ecosystem in the Soviet Union (Current-day Ukraine) The extremely high radiation from an explosion at a Chernobyl power plant caused massive levels of radiation detected in the surrounding ecosystem, which turned the areas affected into a barren wasteland with only poisoned soil.
Twenty- six years after the initial explosion, there has been growth of small bushes and a few small trees. Furthermore, fourteen species of birds know have the ability to adapt to the high amount of radiation. These birds include: red-backed shrike, wood warbler, blackcap, whitethroat,
barred warbler, tree pipit, chaffinch, hawfinch, mistle thrush, song thrush,
blackbird, black redstart, robin, and thrush nightingale. There are a few species living in these extremely polluted and toxic areas that are not adapting as well as the other species. The great tit and the barn swallow are still producing a thick, pink mucus underneath their feathers (which is a sign of radiation poisoning). The ecosystem is slowing reforming, but humans still cannot live near those areas. For more information on the birds, click on this link: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/birds-adapting-chernobyls-radiation.
