Pioneer plant

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A pioneer plant is one that is adapated to an environment where there was no previous life. Examples of such environments include:

Barren rock - Lithoseres (often after volcanic eruptions)

Barren sand - Psammoseres

Salt water - Haloseres

Clear water - Hydroseres

(A sere is a stage in a sequence of events by which the vegetation of an area develops and becomes more complex.)

The plants will be specially adapted to the extremes that may be experienced, and once they have modified the environment may be out-competed by less specific plants, eventually leading to a climax community. Examples of the plants and organisms that colonise such areas are:

Barren rock - blue-green bacteria,

Barren sand - lyme grass, sea couch grass, marram grass

Salt water - green algae, eel grass, Salicornia townsendii and Spartina townsendii

Clear water - Algae, mosses