What Is The Difference Between Primary And Secondary Succession

Primary succession occurs in the lifeless or barren area while secondary succession occurs in an area which has been recently got deprive of life and was previously inhabited.

Primary succession succession that begins in new habitats or lifeless areas that are uninfluenced by pre existing communities is called primary succession. The pioneer species in primary succession are mostly lichens followed by algae and fungi. Primary succession is an ecological succession that occurs from the barren uninhabited and unoccupied areas whereas secondary successions are an ecological succession that occurs from the existence of life previously but got abandoned due to natural disturbances. Secondary succession succession that follows the disruption of a pre existing community that existed in the same ecosystem is called secondary succession.

Abiotic factors such as water wind and species like algae and lichen have a significant role to play in primary succession. When natural communities are developed in barren habitat with no soil or extremely less soil it is called primary succession. The main difference between primary and secondary succession is that primary succession occurs in the land where there is no initial vegetation whereas secondary succession occurs in a land that has primary vegetation. Time taken for the completion of the process in primary succession is more than 1000 years while secondary succession takes place around 200 for its completion.

Primary and secondary are two types of ecological succession. The pioneer species of secondary succession are the species already present within the previous ecosystem.