4.3 Succession Answer Key
Question: What is ecological succession?
Answer: The series of predictable changes that occurs in a community over time
Question: What is primary succession?
Answer: A succession that occurs on surfaces were no soil exists
Question: When a disturbance changes a community without removing the soil, what type of succession follows?
Answer: Secondary succession
Question: Describe the process of succession in an ecosystem
Answer: While older inhabitants die out, new organisms move in
Question: Why does secondary succession typically proceed faster that primary succession?
Answer: The soil is already in place, so a larger range of plant species can colonize the area
Question: What are the two kinds of disturbances that change ecosystems?
Answer: Natural and human disturbances
Question: What are two factors that contribute to the development of a climax community?
Answer: Secondary succession and ecosystems