AP Environmental Science Succession

Multiple Choice

What are ecological disturbances?

• Events that disrupt the structure and function of an ecosystem

• Events that enhance the health and resilience of an ecosystem

• Events that have no impact on the environment

• Events that only occur due to human activities

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a biotic-biotic interaction?

• a snake warming itself on a sunny rock

• a rainstorm washing nutrients from the soil

• a human shivering because of cold weather

• a squirrel gathering acorns from an oak tree

Multiple Choice

Non-living things in the environment

• biotic factors

• abiotic factors

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor?

• rocks

• temperature

• sunlight

• grass

Multiple Choice

Take a look at the picture.

Is this biotic or abiotic?

• biotic

• abiotic

Fill in the Blank

Take a look at this pond ecosystem.

List (3) BIOTIC factors that you see

Multiple Choice

What are the two main categories of ecological disturbances?

• Climate and pollution disturbances

• Environmental and human-induced disturbances

• Wildfires and deforestation disturbances

• Natural and artificial disturbances

Multiple Choice

What are the impacts of ecological disturbances on ecosystem health?

• Decrease in species diversity, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of ecological processes

• No significant impact on species and biodiversity

• Enhancement of species diversity, increase in biodiversity, and improvement of ecological processes

• Changes in species composition, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of ecological processes

Multiple Choice

What is a climax community?

• the goal of both primary and secondary succession

• pioneer species community

• a very high community

• the goal of only primary succession

Multiple Choice

A bare rock community must first undergo...

• the break down of soil in primary succession

• the formation of grasses in secondary succesion

• creating a climax community

• the growth of trees on it

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a pioneer species?

• Shrubs

• Lichen

• Mosses

• Fungi

Multiple Choice

All of the following are dominant plants you would find in a climax community EXCEPT

• Joshua tree

• Oak treee

• Pine tree

• lichen

Multiple Choice

Pioneer organisms are the first to grow in primary succession because they

• can tolerate extreme conditions

• cannot tolerate extreme conditions

• are able to grow to very large sizes

• need soil to grow in

Multiple Choice

All of the following disturbances will lead to secondary succession EXCEPT

Multiple Choice

What is the order of succession shown in this figure?

• A, B, C, D
• B, A, D, C
• C, D, A, B
• D, A, B, C

Multiple Choice

The picture shows what type of succession?

• primary
• secondary
• tertiary
• quadanary

Multiple Choice

After a volcanic eruption, lava covers the land. What is the order that plants grow to repopulate the area?

• Lichens → Shrubs → Grasses → Trees
• Lichens → tree → shrubs→Grasses
• Grasses → Lichens → Shrubs → Trees
• Lichens → Grasses → Shrubs → Trees

Multiple Choice

Reaches a climax community quicker because soil is already present

• primary succession 
• secondary succession
• both types of succession

Multiple Choice

Succession that occurs in an area with NO SOIL

• ecological succession 
• primary succession 
• secondary succession
• pioneer speciles

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a cause of primary succession?

• Volcanic eruptions

• Population expansion

• Mining

• Hurricane

Multiple Choice

What typically initiates secondary succession?

• Retreat of glaciers

• Human-caused disturbances

• Pioneer species dying out

• Mining activities

Multiple Choice

Which event is an example of a natural disturbance that can lead to succession after natural disturbances?

• Deforestation

• Mining

• Tsunami

• Population expansion

Multiple Choice

Which species are known to populate an area during succession and facilitate the establishment of additional species?

• Climax species

• Keystone species

• Pioneer species

• Secondary species

Multiple Choice

What is a key characteristic of climax communities following succession?

• They are always uniform and stable.

• They are temporary and change frequently.

• They may not always be uniform or stable.

• They revert back to primary succession stages.

Multiple Choice

Which event is an example of a disturbance that might prevent a community from fully recovering, leading to secondary succession?

• A mild rainfall

• Clearing land for farming

• Natural animal migration

• Seasonal temperature changes

Match

Match the following

Primary succession

pioneer species

abiotic factor

secondary sucession

climax community

• Primary succession

• pioneer species

• abiotic factor

• secondary sucession

• climax community

Multiple Choice

What is an example of an area that is likely to undergo primary succession?

• Glaciers melt and leave exposed rock

• Plants die from drought and decompose

• Land is bulldozed and soil remains