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Definition

noun

The ecological succession that occurs on a preexisting soil after the primary succession has been disrupted or destroyed due to a disturbance that reduced the population of the initial inhabitants.

Supplement

An example of secondary succession is the development of new inhabitants to replace the previous community of plants and animals that has been disrupted or disturbed by an event (e.g. forest fire, flood, harvesting, epidemic disease, pest attack, etc.).

Compare: primary succession

See also: ecological succession