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
[ Select ]
primary succession
secondary succession
.

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

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

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question presents two scenarios and asks you to choose the type of ecological succession for each.

First scenario: A disturbance such as a fire destroys much of the community, and most species either flee or die. This description fits secondary succession. In secondary succession, an environment is disturbed but soil and some organic material remain, allowing organisms to recolonize and ecosystems to recover over time. The key clue is that the disturbance removes organisms but does not completely erase the soil base.

Second scenario: Volcano eruption creates new land by forming fresh bedrock and lava flows with no soil, and life begins to colonize this bare substrate. This is primary succession. In primary succession, there is no preexisting soil or life, so pioneer organisms (often lichens or certain microbes) gradually begin the soil-building process as the landscape develops from rock to soil.

Why the other possibilities are less fitting:
- Primary succession (first scenario) would require no soil and a barren substrate from the outset; a fire that leaves soil intact and allows rapid recolonization aligns with secondary succession, not primary.
- Secondary succession (second scenario) would imply preexisting soil and some remnants of life; lava flows that reset the landscape to bare rock provide a classic case of primary succession rather than secondary.

Overall, the first scenario corresponds to secondary succession, and the second scenario corresponds to primary succession, based on whether soil remains after disturbance and whether new soil must be formed from bare rock.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Clements model of ecosystem succession is that species are individualistic and not interacting at all.

The image from the movie “I am Legend,” illustrates what kind of landscape:

Wild grassland species colonizing an abandoned patch of farmland is an example of:

What kind of environmental change would be occuring if there was a mountain pine beetle infestation in a forest, followed by salvage logging, and eventually vegetation regrowth in the forest?

What is the main difference between primary and secondary succession?

The temporal replacement of one type of vegetative community with another has historically been known as ___, yet more recent research has found the concept of might be more explanatory of vegetation patterns.

In a consumer society, many adults channel creativity into buying things

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler