What is a pioneer plant?

Moss
Type of Succession:
Mostly primary

Lichen
Type of Succession:
Mostly primary

Grass
Type of Succession:
Secondary

Weeds
Type of Succession:
Secondary

Pioneer plants,or pioneer species, are a type of plant that releases it's seeds or spores into a barren wasteland, or into a destroyed ecosystem. Some pioneers, like lichens or mosses, break down rock to make sediments for soil. Other pioneers, like grass, just populate ecosystems that have been destroyed, and eventually die, putting nutrients into the soil for further plants.