Question

select the correct answer. which example describes secondary succession? a. due to increasing temperatures, glaciers melted exposing barren land. b. a volcanic eruption occurred in the ocean and created new land. c. a few months ago, there was a wildfire in a forest and only a few plants and animals survived. recently, many trees that existed before the fire have started growing again. d. a road was being built in an area but had to be abandoned due to the impact on the environment. several decades later, there were a few plants growing out of the pavement.

Explanation:

Secondary succession is ecological succession that occurs in an area where a pre-existing ecosystem was disturbed but soil and some living organisms remain.

• Option A and B describe primary succession, where life starts on completely barren, newly formed land with no prior ecosystem.
• Option C involves a wildfire that disturbed a forest, but soil and surviving organisms remain, and the original forest species are regrowing, which matches secondary succession.
• Option D involves growth on paved land, which is closer to primary succession as the pavement is a nearly sterile surface with no prior intact ecosystem.

Answer:

C. A few months ago, there was a wildfire in a forest and only a few plants and animals survived. Recently, many trees that existed before the fire have started growing again.