Science and Bible agree on Ecological Succession
Succession in Ecology implies a step by step pattern through which organisms colonize a habitat until that habitat reaches a stable climax community. (Community refers to all living things, both plants and animals).
In a primary succession, soil has to be formed first in a bare rocky area. Usually, lichens (Association of algae and fungi) are the pioneer organisms to colonize a bare rock. Their presence, in addition to agents of weathering break rocks, causing soil formation.
As soil begins to form, hardy plants/weeds start to appear in a scanty and scattered pattern. Their presence brings about more favourable conditions for other living things to establish themselves.
It is after plants are in place that animals will begin to come in. Animals have to come after plants because they depend on plants for food, not the other way round. After plants and animals, man, the lord of them all can now come in.
The above steps as stated by Science are exactly how the Bible enumerated the creation of God in the first chapter of Genesis.
After God created light and firmament on the 1st and 2nd day of creation respectively (verses 3 - 6), he created the dry land on the 3rd day. And he commanded the earth to bring forth grass, herbs and trees in that order (verses 9 - 11).
Note that light has to be available first for plants to make food by photosynthesis.
It is instructive to note that the dry land was the rock from which soil was formed before plants grew on it. And please, don't make a mistake of assuming that each day of creation was a 24 hour day. No. Each of those days represents a period of time which could be hundreds or thousands of years. Soil formation takes a very long time.
You can see the order - grass first, followed by herbs, and trees last. It couldn't have been any other arrangement.
After plants had established, including water plants, aquatic animals came in on the 4th day. Then, birds (verse 20).
On the 5th day (verse 24), God brought in land animals, and finally, man was created on the 6th day (verse 26).
This biblical order of succession fits perfectly in the order of not only modern science but, common sense.
