The Integrated Science team investigates the survival of the Devil's Hole pupfish in Nevada as well as several endangered species in the Amazon. This show explores the natural progression of change in a forest ecosystem. Each group of plants found in a particular stage of succession is adapted for growth under particular conditions of nutrients and sunlight availability. Most forests begin as fields. The progression of development from a field to a forest of hardwood trees is referred to as succession.
Many processes can alter the natural succession from one community to another.
Human activity, such as mowing grass, can even stop succession. The Big Picture Many of today's environmental problems can be traced to overpopulation. In this program, the Integrated Science team examines exponential growth. Fortunately, this is not the case. However, these means are catastrophic.