Your biology class takes a field trip near the campus,and you walk along a trail,starting on bare rock and gravel.You learn that the entire area was stripped clear of any life by quarrying that removed meters of soil and rock nearly a century ago.At first,where you are told the most recent quarrying took place,you can see lichens and mosses growing on larger rocks.Further on,you can see grasses and weeds.Further still,where the first quarrying activities ended decades earlier,you see shrubs and trees.After all the area had been cleared,and this gradient of biota have developed,this is an example of which ecological process?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The developing gradient of biota from lichens and mosses to shrubs and trees indicates a process of ecological succession, specifically primary succession since the area was completely cleared by quarrying. Succession refers to the progressive, predictable change in community composition over time.

Your Biology Class Takes a Field Trip near the Campus,and