Which of the following is the correct sequence of hydrarch succession?
(a) Rooted-submerged plants → Rooted-floating angiosperms → Phytoplanktons → Marsh-meadow Scrub → Forest
(b) Phytoplanktons → Rooted-submerged plants → Rooted-floating angiosperms → Free-floating plants → Reed-swamp → Marsh-meadow → Scrub → Forest
(c) Reed-swamp → Marsh-meadow → Scrub → Forest → Phytoplanktons → Rooted-submerged plants
(d) Phytoplanktons → Rooted-submerged plants → Rooted-floating angiosperms → Forest Marsh-meadow → Scrub
The question was posed to me in a job interview.
The doubt is from Ecosystem in section Ecosystem of Biology – Class 12
The correct answer is (b) Phytoplanktons → Rooted-submerged plants → Rooted-floating angiosperms → Free-floating plants → Reed-swamp → Marsh-meadow → Scrub → Forest
Easiest explanation: The sequence of successional stages occurring in water is known as hydrarch succession or hydrosere. It mostly starts from phytoplanktons and ends with the formation of a forest. The pioneering species grow with time leading to a formation of a climax community called a forest.