Subliminal Science Objective 2

Primary succession occurs in areas where no ecosystem previously existed, starting with bare rock and slowly developing mosses, lichens, grasses, shrubs, young trees and eventually a mature forest climax community over time. Secondary succession is the process of ecological recovery after a disturbance, where soil is already present, and the succession starts with weeds and grasses and progresses through similar stages as primary succession to a climax community. The key difference is that secondary succession has pre-existing soil while primary succession starts without soil.