Chapter 19 Flashcards
The Island of Krakatau has provided an ideal setting for studies of which kind of succession?
A) primary B) secondary C) tertiary D) quaternary
A) primary
Why did wind‐ and water‐dispersed plant species precede animal‐dispersed plant species as the
volcanic island of Krakatau was colonized following its 1883 explosion?
A) Wind and water are more effective dispersal agents than animals.
B) Wind and water are the only dispersal agents utilized by the vast majority of species on
tropical islands.
C) Animals have a very difficult time reaching Krakatau, because the nearest source islands are
over 1000 km away.
D) Animals were not attracted to the island until forests developed.
D) Animals were not attracted to the island until forests developed
Which of the following is most likely to be correct?
A) Each successional stage always makes conditions more favorable for the next successional
stage.
B) Each successional stage always makes conditions less favorable for the next successional
stage.
C) Each successional stage modifies the environmental conditions of the site.
C) Each successional stage modifies the environmental conditions of the site.
In the Piedmont of North Carolina, the first few years of succession on abandoned fields are
characterized by a community of:
A) herbaceous species. B) shrubby species. C) pines. D) hardwood tree species.
A) herbaceous species
In the Piedmont of North Carolina, the climax following succession on abandoned fields is
characterized by a community of:
A) herbaceous species. B) shrubby species. C) pines. D) hardwood tree species.
D) hardwood tree species
Succession on sand dunes at the southern end of Lake Michigan and succession in nearby
Chapter 19: Ecological Succession and Community Development
2
marshes share which of the following in common?
A) their early successional stages C) their climax communities
B) their mid‐successional stages D) none of the above
C) their climax communities
Glacial kettleholes, lava flows, and sand dunes are similar in that they support which of the
following types of succession?
A) primary B) secondary C) tertiary D) quaternary
A) primary
Tornadoes, logging operations, and less severe fires all initiate which of the following types of
succession?
A) primary B) secondary C) tertiary D) quaternary
B) secondary
Although successions in wetlands are highly varied, the end products (climaxes) are always
wetland communities.
A) True B) False
B) False
In his studies of colonization of hard substrates by various subtidal invertebrates, Michael
Keough found that, among patches created within larger areas of rock occupied by sessile
invertebrates, __________ more successfully colonized patches of all sizes.
A) the better competitors, tunicates and sponges,
B) the disturbance‐adapted species, bryozoans and polychaetes,
C) the large predators, such as starfish,
D) microbial films, consisting of bacteria and fungi,
A) the better competitors, tunicates and sponges,
In his studies of colonization of hard substrates by various subtidal invertebrates, Michael
Keough found that, among isolated bare patches, __________ more successfully colonized the
smaller patches.
A) the better competitors, tunicates and sponges,
B) the disturbance‐adapted species, bryozoans and polychaetes,
C) the large predators, such as starfish,
D) microbial films, consisting of bacteria and fungi,
B) the disturbance‐adapted species, bryozoans and polychaetes,
In his studies of colonization of hard substrates by various subtidal invertebrates, Michael
Keough made the interesting discovery that, among isolated bare patches, __________ more
successfully colonized the larger patches.
A) the better competitors, tunicates and sponges,
B) the disturbance‐adapted species, bryozoans and polychaetes,
C) the large predators, such as starfish,
D) microbial films, consisting of bacteria and fungi,
A) the better competitors, tunicates and sponges,
Which of the following scientists stated that each climax formation is capable of “repeating
with essential fidelity the stages of its development.”
A) F. E. Clements B) J. T. Curtis C) R. P. McIntosh D) R. O. Slatyer
A) F. E. Clements
Ecologists today largely subscribe to the concept of the climax as a closed system, as espoused
by F. E. Clements.
A) True B) False
B) False
Curtis and McIntosh created a scale of an environmental gradient based on changes in physical
characteristics or community composition along that gradient. What term did they apply to this
index?
A) the climax index
B) the continuum index
C) the successional index
D) the tolerance index
B) the continuum index
Please choose from the lists below the proper order of three words that best characterize the
three mechanisms of succession proposed by Connell and Slatyer: facilitation, inhibition, and
tolerance. The words should relate properly to the effect of one species on the probability of a
second species becoming established during succession.
A) neutral, positive, negative
B) positive, neutral, negative
C) positive, negative, neutral
D) negative, positive, neutral
C) positive, negative, neutral
In southern California, early‐arriving, fast‐growing algae provide dense protective cover for
reestablishment of kelp following disturbance by winter storms. In areas experimentally kept
clear of early successional species of algae, grazing fish quickly removed settling kelp. Which of
the following successional processes describes the relationship of the pioneering algae to kelp?
A) facilitation B) inhibition C) tolerance D) none of the above
A) facilitation
Managers of power‐line rights‐of‐way in the northeastern United States have discovered that
dense shrub thickets, once established, can prevent establishment of forest trees. By
maintaining shrubs under power lines, managers can greatly reduce the maintenance expenses
(for mowing or herbicide application) normally associated with prevention of tree growth
beneath power lines. Of which mechanism of succession are these managers taking
advantage?
A) facilitation B) inhibition C) tolerance D) none of the above
B) inhibition
Which of the following mechanisms of succession involves the establishment of species
independently of the presence or absence of other species?
A) facilitation B) inhibition C) tolerance D) none of the above
C) tolerance
In abandoned fields in the Piedmont of North Carolina, either ragweed, a summer annual, or
horseweed, a winter annual, typically dominates in the first year following abandonment. If a
field is plowed under in late autumn and then abandoned, which of these two species is likely
to flourish in the following year?
A) ragweed B) horseweed
A) ragweed
In the successional sere on abandoned fields in the Piedmont of North Carolina, self‐inhibition
is a common mechanism determining the course of community development. In which of the
following species is self‐inhibition caused by growth inhibitors produced by decaying roots?
A) horseweed
B) aster
C) pine
D) all of the above
A) horseweed
In the successional sere on abandoned fields in the Piedmont of North Carolina, which of the
following herbaceous species is most likely to persist until the arrival of shrubs and trees?
A) crabgrass
Chapter 19: Ecological Succession and Community Development
5
B) horseweed
C) ragweed
D) aster
E) broomsedge
E) broomsedge
Which of the following is not a typical attribute of an early‐successional species?
A) rapid growth
B) excellent dispersal ability
C) large seed size
D) shade‐intolerance
E) ability to colonize unexploited environments
C) large seed size
You are shown seeds of four different plant species. The largest of these seeds weighs 10 g, and
the others weigh 1 g, 100 mg, and 10 mg, respectively. Which of these species has seedlings
with the best prospect of surviving under shaded conditions?
A) the plant with 10 g seeds C) the plant with 100 mg seeds
B) the plant with 1 g seeds D) the plant with 10 mg seeds
A) the plant with 10 g seeds
Below are figures for the percentage allocation of production to shoots (above‐ground parts)
for four different species. Which of these is likely to be an annual herbaceous species?
A) 80–90% B) 70–80% C) 60–70% D) 20–60%
A) 80–90%
Species replacement can continue even after a vegetation structure similar to that of the climax
community is attained.
A) True B) False
A) True
Although communities tend toward equilibrium, their most common state is one of dynamic
response to changing conditions.
A) True B) False
A) True
The extensive natural pine forests of the southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States
are maintained by:
A) grazing. B) frequent logging. C) occasional hurricanes. D) periodic fires.
D) periodic fires
The interaction of frequent fire and recurrent drought combine to maintain both forest and
prairie under identical climatic conditions in the midwestern United States.
A) True B) False
A) True
Which of the following is a fire‐maintained climax that gives way to oak woodland when fire is
suppressed?
A) arctic tundra
B) chaparral in California
C) sugar maple‐basswood forest in Wisconsin
D) oak‐hickory forest in the Piedmont of North Carolina
B) chaparral in California
Which of the following examples of successional processes illustrates how disturbance can lead
to alternate stable states (climaxes) in the same habitat?
A) succession of carrion feeders in the African savanna
B) replacement of pines by deciduous tree species in the Piedmont of North Carolina
C) grazing‐induced invasion of cheatgrass and its promotion of fire in western North America
D) development of beech‐maple forests on Lake Michigan sand dunes
C) grazing‐induced invasion of cheatgrass and its promotion of fire in western North America
A large canopy tree falls in a deciduous forest in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, opening
a gap in the forest canopy. The drier, warmer, sunlit environment thus created is favorable to
establishment of successional tree species. Whenever deaths of individuals alter the
environment, as in this example, the result is what ecologists refer to as a __________ pattern.
A) primary B) secondary C) catastrophic D) mosaic
D) mosaic
Species Z can only establish under species Y, which in turn can only establish under species X,
which in turn can only establish under species Z. The system supporting regular replacement of
species in the order X, Y, Z, X, Y, Z, X, . . . is referred to as a __________.
A) cyclic climax B) secondary climax C) climatic climax D) nonclimax
A) cyclic climax
Can a persistent cycle, such as that described for heaths and other types of vegetation in
northern Scotland, be considered a climax?
A) Yes B) No
A) Yes
The study of succession and climax involves only plants and their adaptations.
A) True B) False
B) False
The ultimate association of species terminating a succession is called a __________ community.
climax
The sequence of species and communities occupying a site as it undergoes succession from
disturbance event to climax is called a __________.
sere
Organic sediments, called __________, accumulate in a pond and can build to the point where
the pond becomes a bog and the bog eventually becomes a terrestrial forest.
peat
Mature forest communities in Wisconsin were ordered by J. T. Curtis and R. P. McIntosh along a
__________, ranging from dry sites dominated by oak and aspen to moist sites dominated by
sugar maple, ironwood, and basswood.
continuum index
The familiar saguaro cacti of the Sonoran desert cannot establish from seed in full sun. Instead,
these cacti germinate and grow initially in the shelter of shrubs, in an excellent example of
__________.
facilitation
A __________ is observed when the outcome of an interaction between two species depends
on which becomes established first.
priority effect
Seeds of some early successional species can remain dormant for years in __________ of later
successional communities, until disturbance creates conditions required for germination and
growth.
seed banks
Plant species capable of survival and growth in the deep shade under a forest canopy are called
__________ species.
shade-tolerant
The __________‐maintained pine forest of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains of the United
States are examples of climaxes maintained by chronic disturbance.
fire
Small seasonal ponds in the temperate zone undergo succession to climax each year. They
usually fill in the spring and go through a succession of plant and animal dominants until the
community is destroyed by summer drought or winter freezing. The assemblage of plants and
animals developing each year in such a pond is referred to as a __________ climax.
transient
In certain species‐poor communities, succession continually repeats itself, with the community
of each microsite undergoing regeneration, growth, damage, and decline in what has been
termed a __________ climax.
cyclic
Adaptation by different species to growing in particular conditions created by different‐sized
openings could enhance the overall __________ of a climax community.
diversity
