Ecological Succession Review

Some students take care of a vegetable garden. When it is time to plant in the spring, the students leave part of the garden empty in order to observe ecological succession.Which of these will most likely occur first?

• Development of top soil

• Growth of weeds and grasses

• Growth of trees and shrubs

• Development of a stream

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Read the passage and answer the following question(s). Directions: Use the information from this passage and your knowledge of science to answer any questions that follow.  Mr. Mac had his students conduct an experiment on ecological succession. He built a large 20-foot by 20-foot wooden box in the school yard and had his students fill it with fresh sand and rocks. He then had his students record weekly data on what was growing in the microhabitat over a twelve month period.

If Mr. Mac's students came back to visit the school twenty-five years later, and their microhabitat were left undisturbed, what would theymost likely observe?

• The microhabitat would be barren because it did not occur naturally.

• The microhabitat would contain only a variety of grasses.

• The microhabitat would be overgrown by a large variety of bushes and trees.

• The microhabitat would contain many varieties of pioneer species.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Both primary and secondary succession begin with pioneer species that —

• change the area and make it safer from predatory organisms

• invade the area so that new organisms cannot be established

• modify the area and allow larger and more complex organisms to appear

• use up all the existing resources and prevent establishment of non-native organisms

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-2

Read the passage and answer the following question(s). Directions: The diagram below shows an example of an ecological succession in a particular area after a volcanic eruption. Use the diagram to answer any questions that follow.

Using the diagram, which organisms most likely produced soil first?

• Mosses and lichens

• Grasses

• Shrubs and small trees

• Hardwood trees

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Primary succession can occur on

• NEW LAND AREA WITH BARE ROCKS

• USED AND PLANTED LAND AREA WITH GEGETATION

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Secondary succession can occur on

• NEW LAND AREA WITH BARE ROCKS

• LAND AREA THAT HAS BEEN DISTURBED BY MAN, NATURAL DISASTER, OR FIRE

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which takes longer, primary or secondary succession?

• Primary Succession

• Secondary Succession

What 3 things can cause primary succession to start?

• Volcanic Eruption

• Glacial Retreat

• Hurricane

• Formation of a sand dune

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

What are the species called that appear first during primary succession?

• Pioneer Species

• New Species

• Alpha Species

• Mature Species

True or false: trees are a type of pioneer species

• True

• False