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About Richard Ochs
Expertise
I can answer questions regarding basic ecology (grade
school through high school). I can also answer some
college level questions as long as they aren't extremely technical.
Experience
I had been a Park Ranger/Naturalist at Grand Teton National Park for 3 summers. Prior to that I was a naturalist for 4 summers at Cattus Island County Park in New Jersey. I also graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Natural Resource Management.
Education/Credentials
BS in Natural Resource Management from Rutgers University, with honors.
Awards and Honors
Philip Alampi Scholar, Moorestown Rotary Scholar, Golden Key National Honor Society member.
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You are here: Experts > Science > Ecology > Ecology > ecology
Expert: Richard Ochs
Date: 7/18/2008
Subject: ecology
Question
what prevents the continued development of a community beyond the climax
community?
Answer
That really depends on who you talk to and what you consider to be a "climax" community. Some ecologists actually want to get away from the notion that a community can reach a point where it will no longer change, which makes sense. Communities and Ecosystems are very dynamic and are constantly changing on some level, even if they are in their "climax" community.
For the purposes of your question, the climax community is usually so well entrenched that it is difficult to remove. Shade tolerance of young trees is a good example of a trait that many climax forest communities have. Species that quickly repopulate an area are usually shade-intolerant, so when the climax species moves in, they shade out the other trees and they can no longer grow there.
But as we know, the climax species can be removed through disturbances. They can be human caused, such as logging, or natural such as fire, tornadoes, or insect infestation. When these shade-tolerant trees are removed due to these disturbances, guess who comes back? Those same shade-intolerant trees that were kicked out by the climax shade-tolerant trees in the first place. This is why many ecologists don't want people to think of climax communities as being the "finish line" in ecological succession; they're really just part of the cycle.
I hope that this helps.
Rich
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