Question

Melting snow causes a pond to develop in a existing basin with fertile soil. Phytoplankton, tiny plant life, begin to occupy the pond. Grasses and shrubs begin to grow at the pond’s edge, and frogs come to lay their eggs in the pond.

What type of succession does this passage describe?


Which species is the pioneer species?

Answer 1

This is secondary succession — the pond forms where fertile soil already exists, so succession starts from existing soil rather than from bare rock.

The pioneer species are the phytoplankton (algae/microscopic plants) that first colonize the new pond.