When I was researching beech trees, I learned about a vegetation state called climax forest, where plants are replaced by more stable communities over a long period of time, which is called vegetation succession. The transition from bare ground to the formation of a forest is called primary succession, and there are two types of succession: dry succession, which begins when bare ground is covered with rocks due to a volcanic eruption, and wet succession, which begins when bare ground is covered with sediment from lakes and marshes.In bare land where not a single plant is growing, mosses and lichens first invade and create a thin soil, then annual grasses invade, and eventually perennial plants with underground stems invade and form a thicker soil, eventually transforming into a forest centered around sun-loving trees, and then into a forest centered around shade-loving trees, resulting in a stable forest.
https://www.shinrin-ringyou.com/shinrin_seitai/seni.php
The first to invade are mosses and lichens, which live without soil. They dissolve rocks and release phosphorus and iron, providing minerals to the surrounding area. Mosses seem to have the ability to accumulate metals, including copper, lead, cadmium, and other metals that are negative for soil. Does moss purify the soil? Mosses are amazing.
https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-20J10471
Lichens are a symbiotic organism of fungi and algae, where the fungi extract nutrients from rocks and other materials, and the algae perform photosynthesis. Just as moss collects metals, lichens also retain radioactive cesium, which is a negative for soil. Lichens are amazing. The role of mosses and lichens, which are the first to invade harsh bare land, is important. Depending on the type of harsh bare land, there are volcanic successions, saline successions, and sandy successions.
https://tiisys.com/blog/2021/06/08/post-89791/2
After that, pioneer plants invade, create soil, and form a sun-loving forest, which means the forest floor is no longer exposed to sunlight. This causes the number of shade-loving trees that can grow in less sunlight to increase, forming a shade forest. The forest that is formed in this way becomes a climax forest, which is the final stage of succession, and after hundreds of years it becomes something like a beech forest.
https://hosho.ees.hokudai.ac.jp/tsuyu/top/dct/scn-j.html
We don’t often have the chance to see bare land, but the process of wilderness → grassland → shrubland → forest is amazing. I can only imagine the years and the changes, but the vegetation transition is amazing. The process of the earth becoming green is amazing.
