The melting and subsequent retreat of glaciers is a long process that may take centuries. Why is something so slow considered an extreme disturbance? (1 point)

Question

The melting and subsequent retreat of glaciers is a long process that may take centuries. Why is something so slow considered an extreme disturbance? (1 point)
• They will never grow back after they melt.
• They strip away trees and destroy everything as they move.
• They move giant boulders and change the physical shape of the landscape.
• They leave behind bare rock with no established ecosystem.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The correct answer is: **They leave behind bare rock with no established ecosystem.** This phenomenon is considered an extreme disturbance because, when glaciers melt and retreat, they often expose bare rock, which can take a very long time to develop into a stable ecosystem. This bare rock can significantly disrupt existing ecological communities and slow down the process of succession, which is vital for biodiversity.