Forest Succession

The first organisms that appear in an ecological community

• ecological succession 

• primary succession 

• secondary succession

• pioneer species

Starts with BARE ROCK followed by lichen

• primary succession 

• secondary succession

• both types of succession

The final stable community of plants and animals is called:

• pioneer community

• farmland

• climax community

• old field

Succession that occurs in an area with NO SOIL

• ecological succession 

• primary succession 

• secondary succession

• pioneer speciles

Plants that come after the lichens & mosses are ____ and they must re-seed each year.

• perennials

• annuals

• shrubs

• hardwoods

Events that occur in four different ecosystems are shown in the chart below. Which ecosystem would most likely require the most time for ecological succession to restore it to its original state? (a)  

• A

• B

• C

• D

Answer explanation

Generally speaking, primary succession takes a longer period of time than does secondary succession.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

What would most likely be the predominant lifeform found in stage I?

• ferns

• tracheophytes

• mushrooms

• pioneer species

Answer explanation

An area that is just rock would need some hardy organisms that can survive with little to no resources. Mosses and Lichens would be two good examples of these organisms.

Years after the lava from an erupting volcano destroyed an area, lichens started to grow in that area. These were gradually replaced by grasses, shrubs, conifers, and finally, by a deciduous forest. In this sequence of events, the lichens functioned as

• primary consumers

• climax organisms

• abiotic factors

• pioneer organisms

Answer explanation

An area that is just rock would need some hardy organisms that can survive with little to no resources. Mosses and Lichens would be two good examples of these organisms.

Changes in an ecosystem over a long period of time are shown in the diagram below. These changes will most likely lead to a

• stable ecosystem that can last for many years

• loss of heterotrophs that cannot be recovered

• long-term rise in environmental temperatures

• forest consisting of only producers and decomposers

Answer explanation

This diagram is showing succession, the replacement of one type of community by another until the stable climax community, which remains until it is destroyed by some catastrophe.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

If the ecosystem is not altered, which stage would be the most stable?

• grass

• shrub

• pine forest

• hardwood forest

Answer explanation

The stage that remains is the stable climax community.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4