A disturbance, such as the fire shown in the image below, results in most of the species of the community either fleeing the area or dying in the fire. This is an example of secondary succession .

Volcanoes erupt on the islands of Hawaii, resulting in new land formation, starting at the bedrock. This is an example of primary succession .

Question

A disturbance, such as the fire shown in the image below, results in most of the species of the community either fleeing the area or dying in the fire. This is an example of secondary succession .

Volcanoes erupt on the islands of Hawaii, resulting in new land formation, starting at the bedrock. This is an example of primary succession .

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question presents two ecological scenarios and asks you to identify whether each scenario represents secondary or primary succession.
Option A: 'secondary succession' for the disturbance where a fire sweeps through a community, causing most species to flee or die, leaving behind soil and some organic matter. This matches the definition of secondary succession: a disturbance alters an existing community but leaves the soil intact, allowing recolonization from remaining organisms and seed banks. The situation described (fire in a community) typically progresses through stages of regrowth using the preexisting soil and seed sources.
Option B: 'primary succession' for volcanic lava flows creating new land starting at bedrock. Primary succession begins on surfaces that have little to no life and lack soil, such as bare rock exposed by lava flows, volcanic ash, or retreating glaciers. Since lava can create new land where soil must first develop from rock, pioneer organisms colonize and gradually build soil, leading to a gradual establishment of a forest or other vegetation.
In terms of distinguishing features, consider whether soil is present and whether the community is recolonizing from remnants (secondary) versus establishing on a barren substrate from scratch (primary). The fire scenario retains soil and some life or seed sources, pointing to secondary succession, while the lava scenario starts with bare bedrock and no soil, pointing to primary succession.
Additionally, the two examples align with standard ecological concepts: disturbances that remove organisms but leave the substrate and soil result in secondary succession, whereas events that erase the soil and create new land lead to primary succession. Therefore, when matching each scenario to the appropriate type, the fire disturbance corresponds to secondary succession and the lava-created land corresponds to primary succession.

Biol 1106 Rosenzweig Sp2025 CRN's11552 & 11553 Lesson 21 Homework Problems

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