The first plant to colonize the plains of Mount Saint Helens after this volcano erupted in 1980 was a prairie lupine. The prairie lupine is therefore an example of ____.
A) a secondary successor
B) a pioneer species
C) a keystone species
D) an exotic species
E) an introduced species

Question

The first plant to colonize the plains of Mount Saint Helens after this volcano erupted in 1980 was a prairie lupine. The prairie lupine is therefore an example of ____.​
A) ​a secondary successor
B) ​a pioneer species
C) ​a keystone species
D) ​an exotic species
E) an introduced species​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prairie lupine, as the first plant to colonize the plains of Mount Saint Helens after the eruption, is an example of a pioneer species. Pioneer species are the first to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems, beginning a chain of ecological succession that ultimately leads to a more biodiverse steady-state ecosystem.

The First Plant to Colonize the Plains of Mount Saint