Question

Which table correctly matches the scenario to the type of succession that would follow?
A.

Scenario Type of Succession
a wildfire burns down a forest primary
a glacier retreats to expose rock secondary
a volcano erupts and creates an island secondary
a hurricane causes a flood primary
an earthquake causes a landslide primary
B.

Scenario Type of Succession
a wildfire burns down a forest secondary
a glacier retreats to expose rock primary
a volcano erupts and creates an island secondary
a hurricane causes a flood primary
an earthquake causes a landslide secondary
C
.

Scenario Type of Succession
a wildfire burns down a forest primary
a glacier retreats to expose rock secondary
a volcano erupts and creates an island secondary
a hurricane causes a flood secondary
an earthquake causes a landslide primary
D.

Scenario Type of Succession
a wildfire burns down a forest secondary
a glacier retreats to expose rock primary
a volcano erupts and creates an island primary
a hurricane causes a flood secondary
an earthquake causes a landslide secondary

Answer 1

To correctly match the scenarios to the type of succession, it's important to understand the definitions of primary and secondary succession:

- **Primary Succession** occurs in lifeless areas where soil has not yet formed (e.g., after a volcanic eruption that creates new land, or when a glacier retreats).
- **Secondary Succession** occurs in areas where a disturbance has destroyed an existing ecosystem, but soil and some organisms still remain (e.g., after a wildfire, hurricane, or flood).

Based on these definitions, let's analyze each scenario from the provided tables:

1. **A wildfire burns down a forest** - This leads to secondary succession because the soil and some seeds may still be present.

2. **A glacier retreats to expose rock** - This leads to primary succession, as it creates a new area without existing soil.

3. **A volcano erupts and creates an island** - This leads to primary succession as it creates a new land surface with no soil.

4. **A hurricane causes a flood** - This typically leads to secondary succession, as it disturbs an existing ecosystem but usually leaves soil and other organisms intact.

5. **An earthquake causes a landslide** - This generally leads to secondary succession, as the area may be disturbed but soil remains.

Now, let’s evaluate each table:

- **Table A**:
- Wildfire: Secondary
- Glacier retreat: Primary (Correct)
- Volcano: Secondary (Incorrect)
- Hurricane: Primary (Incorrect)
- Earthquake: Primary (Incorrect)

- **Table B**:
- Wildfire: Secondary (Correct)
- Glacier retreat: Primary (Correct)
- Volcano: Secondary (Incorrect)
- Hurricane: Primary (Incorrect)
- Earthquake: Secondary (Incorrect)

- **Table C**:
- Wildfire: Primary (Incorrect)
- Glacier retreat: Secondary (Incorrect)
- Volcano: Secondary (Incorrect)
- Hurricane: Secondary (Incorrect)
- Earthquake: Primary (Correct)

- **Table D**:
- Wildfire: Secondary (Correct)
- Glacier retreat: Primary (Correct)
- Volcano: Primary (Incorrect)
- Hurricane: Secondary (Correct)
- Earthquake: Secondary (Incorrect)

**The correct matching would be as follows:**

- A wildfire burns down a forest: **Secondary**
- A glacier retreats to expose rock: **Primary**
- A volcano erupts and creates an island: **Primary**
- A hurricane causes a flood: **Secondary**
- An earthquake causes a landslide: **Secondary**

None of the tables perfectly match the correct pairings, but if we were to create a revised table it should look like this:

**Revised Table:**

| Scenario | Type of Succession |
|-------------------------------------------------|--------------------|
| A wildfire burns down a forest | Secondary |
| A glacier retreats to expose rock | Primary |
| A volcano erupts and creates an island | Primary |
| A hurricane causes a flood | Secondary |
| An earthquake causes a landslide | Secondary |

If forced to choose from the provided options with the least errors, **Table B** is closest, but it has an error regarding the volcano and hurricane scenarios. It is recommended to consider none of the tables are completely accurate.