What is the main difference between primary and secondary succession?

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Topic at hand is the distinction between primary and secondary succession in ecological recovery. 
Option 1: 'Rate at which the plant community recovers' — While recovery rate can differ between primaries and secondaries, this is not the defining difference. Primary succession often proceeds more slowly due to the initial lack of soil and organic matter, whereas secondary succession benefits from residual soil and organisms, but the main contrast is not simply speed. 
Option 2: 'The composition of the recovering plant community' — This is a key factor. Primary succession starts from bare rock or barren substrates with pioneer species like lichens and mosses, leading to a gradual change in community composition as soil builds and more complex plants establish. Secondary succession occurs after a disturbance in an area that already has soil and some seed bank or organisms, so its species composition reflects pre-disturbance communities and available propagules. This option highlights the fundamental difference in who makes up the recovering community. 
Option 3: 'Amount of soil organic matter lost during disturbance' — While soil organic matter can be affected, the distinction between primary and secondary succession is not defined by the extent of organic matter loss alone. Some secondary disturbances may greatly reduce organic matter, and some primaries begin with essentially no organic matter, but this is not the defining criterion. 
Option 4: 'The presence of lichens and mosses' — This choice captures the classic hallmark of primary succession: the colonization by pioneer organisms such as lichens and mosses that can tolerate bare substrates and begin soil formation. In secondary succession, such pioneers are typically not required because soil and residual seeds or roots exist from the pre-disturbance stage, so the presence of these colonizers is not a defining feature. 
Overall, distinguishing primary from secondary succession hinges most on how the recovering community is formed and what substrates and propagules are available, with the pioneer role of lichens and mosses being emblematic of primary succession.}

What is the main difference between primary and secondary succession?

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What is the main difference between primary and secondary succession?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

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

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