WorksheetsEcological Succession Review
Total questions: 10
Worksheet time: 5mins
Which event would most likely cause an ecosystem to have the lowest biodiversity and population sizes 3 years later?
A river floods a cornfield
A forest fire destroys the plant growth
Clearing land for a highway
A lava flow creates a new section of land
The role of a pioneer species in primary succession is to change a bare habitat into one that is suitable for other organisms. A species that is responsible for primary succession in an ecosystem is most likely able to —
survive any predator
migrate during the winter
live at high altitudes
carry out photosynthesis
Which of the following sequences most likely represents ecological succession on a recently abandoned wheat field?
Grasses → flowering plants → shrubs → native trees
Native trees → shrubs → flowering plants → grasses
Shrubs → grasses → native trees → flowering plants
Flowering plants → native trees → shrubs → grasses
What is the relationship between ecological succession and equilibrium in an ecosystem?
Ecological succession leads to equilibrium in an ecosystem.
Ecological succession prevents ecosystems from ever reaching equilibrium.
There is no relationship between ecological succession and equilibrium.
Ecological succession and equilibrium are the same thing.
A hurricane hits a coastal prairie and destroys the habitat. Years later, there is an appearance of small plants with rapidly spreading roots. This vegetation describes —
a microhabitat
primary succession
secondary succession
biodiversity
When forest fires destroyed many of the pine trees in Bastrop State Park, the burned areas began secondary succession. What is the role of succession in this example?
Creating new soil by chemical and physical weathering of rocks
Restoring the ecosystem through grass, shrub, and tree stages
Changing the landscape to be more fire resistant in the future
Opening the land for new uses like farming and raising livestock
A flower bed is created at a school so flowers can be planted in autumn.
Over the summer, the flower bed is ignored. Which of the following should the students expect to find when they come back to school?
In 2011, fires in Bastrop County, Texas were the most damaging wildfires in Texas history.
The fire spread through the pine trees and scorched nearly 5,700 acres of Bastrop State Park. The majority of the Houston toad’s habitat was lost, and the Lost Pines Forest was greatly affected.
As ecological succession began, which of these most likely appeared in the Bastrop forest area first?
Shrubs and trees
Newly developed topsoil
Weeds and grasses
Lichens on fallen trees
Students observe ecological succession of a field that has been left bare. Which of the following are the students likely to observe first?
Growth of shrubs and trees
Formation of topsoil
A mature grassland community
Growth of grasses and weeds
Which is NOT an example of primary succession?
Decomposing organic matter forms soil
Presence of existing fertile soil
Long-term occurrence over extended time
Barren land once covered by a glacier
