Pioneer species

In some cases, a habitat changes drastically, for example, after a fire, or a volcanic eruption. Some species are very good at adapting to new conditions. Often they also have a good way of spreading over long distances. These species will then be among the first to grow in the new habitat. They are called pinoeer species. They colonize barren environments, or they repopulate distrupted biodiverse steady-state ecosystems as part of ecological succession. Various kinds of events can create good conditions for pioneers, including disruption by natural disasters, such as wildfire, flood, mudslide, lava flow or a climate-related extinction event, or by anthropogenic habitat destruction, such as through land clearance for agriculture or construction or industrial damage. Pioneer species play an important role in creating soil in primary succession, and stabilizing soil and nutrients in secondary succession.

Pioneer species quickly occupy distrupted spaces. For this reason, humans often see themn as weeds, or nuisance wildlife. Examples for this are the common dandelion or the stinging nettle. Even though humans have mixed relationships with these plants, these species tend to help improve the ecosystem because they can break up compacted soils and accumulate nutrients that help with a transition back to a more mature ecosystem. In human-managed ecological restoration or agroforestry, trees and herbaceous pioneers can be used to restore soil qualities and provide shelter for slower growing or more demanding plants. Some systems use introduced species to restore the ecosystem, or for environmental remediation. The durability of pioneer species can also make them potential invasive species.

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Category:Botany