(2 pts) Describe the process in which an ecosystem moves from a pioneer species to a climax community.

As an ecological community develops, it goes through a series of stages called ecological succession. The enduring community, in which specific and environmental changes are minimized, is called the climax community.

Explanation:

Succession is a process that generally begins after a significant alteration or extinction of an existing community. During succession, a community begins from a point where pioneer species colonize a new area. Pioneer species actively work to provide nutrients to soils and thus allow life to begin to form in them.During this time, there is widespread growth of these fast-growing species. If this new development is in an area that has never been settled before, this is called primary succession. If colonization occurs where an area has been so severely disturbed that the original community no longer exists, this is called secondary succession. Primary succession begins with the establishment of pioneer species such as lichens and mosses. These change the physico-chemical characteristics of the substrate. Later, small plants such as grasses, shrubs and then trees arrive, until culminating in a climax community dominated by certain species. The equilibrium that characterizes the climax community can be altered by climatic, ecological and evolutionary factors.