Beside each scenario, select the type of succession that would follow.

Question

Primary
Secondary
A wildfire burns down a forest
A glacier retreats to expose rock
A volcano erupts and creates an island
An earthquake causes a landslide
An entire section of forest is harvested

Answer 1

Here’s the classification for each scenario:

1. A wildfire burns down a forest - Secondary Succession
2. A glacier retreats to expose rock - Primary Succession
3. A volcano erupts and creates an island - Primary Succession
4. An earthquake causes a landslide - Secondary Succession
5. An entire section of forest is harvested - Secondary Succession

Secondary succession occurs in areas where a disturbance has removed an existing community but left the soil and some organisms intact, while primary succession occurs in lifeless areas where there is no soil and organisms must start from scratch.