Ecological succession is a of predictable that occur in a community over .

Primary succession occurs in an area where there is no -- just bare .

Primary succession occurs after a volcanic where the lava and forms bare . It can also occur after a melts.

Pioneer species are the species to in an area. They are that can tolerate growing conditions.

There are stages in primary succession.
Phase 1: Lichens ( + ) grow on bare . They release an that begins to down the bare rock.

Phase 2: The lichens mix in with down rock to create a soil. then start to grow which helps create a more soil.

Phase 3: then begin to take root in the soil. start to grow. begin to enter the ecosystem due to available food sources. The from new species get brought in on the animal's or by the .

Phase 4: Many new have begun to grow in the area. There are now lots of and web begin to develop and the ecosystem continues to . This is called the community.

There are also phases in a Whale Fall Community.
Phase 1: The whale starts to fall to the ocean floor.

Phase 2: The and hagfish off of the carcass. Mollusks, sea stars, and crabs eat off the dropping on the floor.

Phase 3: The whale has now landed on the floor.Whale fall worms feed off of whale . Symbiotic bacteria digest the in whale bones. There interaction is known as .

Phase 4: Invertebrates then on whale fall worms and each other until nothing is left.