Have you ever wondered about the terrain of the Earth billions of years ago. One thing that has been brought about with time is natural succession which is vital to our eco-system.

 

Many a times, land full of rocks are discarded and labelled as 'useless.' This is partially true because no immediate farming or use can be derived from it. But do you know land on our earth started with a pile of rocks.  

On bare rocks, species such as lichen, algae and moses start to grow on it. These are simple species that can grow in areas with no soil or very little soil. From there, these early successional species grow and excrete weak acid that allows them to take the nutrients from the rocks. When these species eventually die, they decompose becoming organic matter that mix with he minerals in the rocks. This process happens for some time and new soil is formed. then annual plants and weeds start growing on it. From there, when they die, they add more nutrients to the soil making it more hospital more new different and bigger plant species. Before you know it, coniferous trees start growing and you can have a forest.

Bare rock- Lichen- Annual Plants- Weeds-Shrubs- Pine forests- Maple trees

A forest is created from a pile of rocks! Everything in nature is important and it was all created for a reason. This cycle takes thousands of years! We  cannot wait for a thousand years therefore, we must must preserve what we have and at the same time ensure that there is enough to sustain our future generations to come. Its an act of juggling but it involves efficient natural resources management.

Bellow is a sign of natural succession taking place in its very preliminary stages. Algae is growing on a rock.