Question

1. ecological succession after a disturbance usually takes hundreds of years in the pacific northwest. however, succession after the mount st. helens eruption in 1980 has progressed much more rapidly because some plants and animals were in protected areas when the hot ash and pumice fell. what conclusion can you draw about the pace of succession from this example? ______________

Explanation:

Ecological succession can be influenced by external factors. In this case, the ash and pumice from the eruption likely provided new resources (like nutrients) or altered the environment in a way that favored certain plants and animals. This allowed succession to occur more quickly than the typical hundreds - year timeline in the Pacific Northwest. It shows that disturbances (even large - scale ones like volcanic eruptions) can sometimes speed up ecological succession if they create conditions that are more conducive to the growth and establishment of new species.

Answer:

Ecological succession can be accelerated by certain types of disturbances (such as volcanic eruptions that deposit materials like ash and pumice) when those disturbances create favorable conditions for the growth and establishment of plants and animals.