Primary Succession vs Secondary Succession

What is the name given to lichen or algae after a primary succession?

• pioneer species

• volunteer species

• founder species

• conqueror species

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

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

• Primary succession already has soil.

• Primary has soil and secondary does not

• soil is present in both

• primary has no soil and secondary has soil

What are examples of pioneer species in a primary succession?

• Bushes and Shrubs

• Oak trees

• Mossess and Lichens 

• A rose Bush

What is the most important function of pioneer species?

• To create rocks

• To create soil and add nutrients to the environment 

• To look nice

• Food for animals 

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In an ecosystem, there are populations of moose, rabbits, grass, and pine trees. Suddenly, a fire blazes through the area, which kills all of the populations. As the months go on, new species of grass begin to take root. This attracts animals, and eventually the ecosystem is restored.

What type of ecological succession happened?

• Primary succession

• Secondary succession

• Tertiary succession

• None of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Primary succession occurs in:

• Areas with existing soil

• Areas that have been disturbed but have soil

• Lifeless areas without soil

• Urban environments

Answer explanation

Primary succession occurs in lifeless areas without soil, such as after a volcanic eruption or glacier retreat, where new ecosystems develop from bare rock or sand, unlike secondary succession which occurs in areas with existing soil.

Secondary succession is typically:

• Slower than primary succession

• Faster than primary succession

• The same speed as primary succession

• Irrelevant to ecosystem recovery

Answer explanation

Secondary succession is faster than primary succession because it occurs in areas where soil and some organisms already exist, allowing for quicker recovery and re-establishment of the ecosystem.

Which of the following is an example of secondary succession?

• A glacier melting

• A lava flow cooling

• A forest regrowing after a fire

• A new island forming

Answer explanation

Secondary succession occurs in areas where a disturbance has destroyed an ecosystem but left the soil intact. A forest regrowing after a fire exemplifies this, as it rebuilds on previously existing soil.

Which of the following best describes primary succession?

• The development of a community in an area that has never supported life before

• The regrowth of a community after a disturbance

• The process of soil formation in an existing ecosystem

• The introduction of invasive species into an ecosystem