Succession in ecosystems cause drastic changes to both the biotic and abiotic factors in the area. This is because over time, organisms living in this environment will alter small factors, for example, soil pH, in order to make the environment better suited to cultivating life. One abiotic factor that would be affected by succession is oxygen availability. If the ecosystem has become a dense woodland over the years, there will be a larger concentration of oxygen as there are more plants present able to carry out photosynthesis, which in turn produces oxygen. In aquatic habitats this is vital. Another abiotic factor affected by succession would be soil pH. As more organisms succeeded in the ecosystem, the pH would be altered to suit their successors, allowing them to thrive. Soil drainage would also be affected. Soil with lots of plant roots in becomes much more firm, but also soaks up more water as the roots will take in the water to be used in the plant. This means that flooding is less likely to occur in areas where lots of succession has taken place. This lack of rapid drainage will also affect other edaphic factors, such as leading to a higher concentration of minerals. This means plant growth will be much faster in these areas as leaching will occur less. Along the ground, light levels will also be affected. If large trees are growing with branches extending outwards with leaves on, light will be unable to pass through to the floor and in turn, will cause smaller plants such as grasses to be unable to photosynthesize, which could affect their population drastically. Lastly, water availability will also be affected. If there is a high concentration of organisms living in one area, the available water will be used up by many of them, and may leave some without water.
This answer scored 4 marks out of a possible 6. In order to score full marks, I should have mentioned that early successors will add organic matter to the soil, that some successors e.g. trees will protect other organisms from frost and that the presence of plants will lead to a greater recycling of nutrients.
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