Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community but leaves the soil intact is called what?

• A. Climax Community
• B. Secondary Succession
• C. Invasive Species
• D. Old-Growth Forest

Answer: (B)

Secondary succession is the recovery process that follows a disturbance destroying a community while leaving the soil intact. Because the soil remains, surviving plant roots, seeds, and microorganisms can re-sprout and recolonize, allowing the ecosystem to rebound more quickly than if the soil were also removed. The sequence typically starts with early, fast-growing plants and then shifts to shrubs and finally trees as conditions recover, moving toward a stable, mature community. This differs from primary succession, which begins on bare rock or soil that has been reset, with no seed bank or living material left to carry the process. The other terms describe end states or different scenarios rather than the process itself: a climax community is the final, stable stage of succession; invasive species are organisms that disrupt ecosystems; and an old-growth forest is a mature stand, not the succession process.