| A | B |
|---|
| Succession | replacement of one community with another until a climax is reached |
| primary succession | succession that occurs where no prior life originated |
| secondary succession | succession that occurs after an established community is devastated by a disaster (forest clearing, earthquake, etc.) |
| pioneer species | species that first colonizes an uninhabited area |
| Examples of pioneer species | lichen, bacteria, moss |
| Examples of climax species | maple trees, Oak trees |
| terrestrial | land-based |
| Marine | of the sea |
| niche | the role of an organism in an environment (its "job"-what it eats, where it lives, etc.) |
| biodiversity | the variety of different species in an area |
| Climax community | All the species within an area that inhabit a stable and mature ecosystem |
| Climax species | Species most numerous in a stable and mature ecosystem |
