You Observe Three Beech-Maple Forests in Indiana That Began as Ponds

You observe three beech-maple forests in Indiana that began as ponds. How might you determine whether they all started succession with the same community composition?

A) carbon-date the maple and beech trees to see how long they have been living; older trees would suggest a more diverse starting community
B) calculate the species diversity of lichens found on the trees
C) try growing different types of pioneer species at each site
D) sample the soils at each site for pollen and carbon-date them to get an estimate of the species that appeared first at the site