Question

The final stable community in an ecological succession is
(a) Seral community
(b) Pioneer community
(c) Ecosere
(d) Climax community

Answer 1

Hint: During succession over the rocks, the lichen gets replaced by forests. Similarly, in water bodies also the phytoplankton gets replaced by the forest. So, the ultimate community is the most stable community.

Complete answer:
The final stable community in an ecological succession is the 'Climax community'. The periodic change in the species composition, structure, and architecture of the given area is known as ecological succession. Orderly and sequential change that finally leads to a community that is in near equilibrium with the environment is called a climax community.
In any succession, the species that invade a bare area are called pioneer species.
-During primary succession on rocks, the pioneer species are lichens. They can secrete acids to dissolve rock thus helping in weathering and soil formation and the little soil leads to the growth of bryophytes. With time these bryophytes are replaced by bigger plants, and ultimately a stable climax forest community is formed and ultimately the xerophytic habitat gets converted into a mesophytic one.
-Similarly in hydrarch succession, the pioneers are the small phytoplanktons that are replaced with time by free-floating angiosperms which are later replaced by rooted hydrophytes, sedges, grasses and finally the trees. The climax again would lead to a forest and with time the water body is converted into the land.
Ecosere or the Seral community refers to the several individual communities formed in between the pioneer community and the climax community in a succession.
So, the correct answer is 'Climax community’.

Note: Based on the nature of the habitat-
-If succession takes place in wetter areas and the successive series progress from hydric to the mesic conditions is called hydrarch succession.
-Similarly, if succession takes place in dry areas and the series progresses from xeric to mesic conditions is called xerarch succession.