Question
Secondary succession can happen after primary succession or independently of primary succession. Please select the best answer from the choices provided T F
Answer
4.5
(214 Votes)
Owen
Veteran · Tutor for 9 years
Answer
T
Explanation
Secondary succession refers to the ecological recovery process that occurs in an area where a community that was previously existing has been removed; it is the series of community changes which take place on a previously colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat. Examples of such disturbances could include fires, floods, or human activities like deforestation. Secondary succession does not require the creation of new soil, as primary succession does, because the soil already exists and often contains seeds, roots, and microorganisms.Primary succession, on the other hand, occurs in an area that has never before been colonized by living organisms. This might happen on bare rock after a volcanic eruption, on newly formed sand dunes, or on areas retreated by glaciers. It involves the gradual establishment of biotic communities in an area where there is no soil or sediment.Secondary succession can indeed happen after primary succession, once a primary succession has run its course and established a mature community, if a disturbance occurs that removes the established community without destroying the soil. However, secondary succession can also occur independently of primary succession, in areas where a community has been cleared by a disturbance that leaves the soil intact.