Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil is called?

• A. Ecological succession
• B. Primary succession
• C. Secondary succession
• D. Pioneer species

Answer: (C)

Secondary succession happens when a disturbance removes the living community but leaves the soil intact. With soil present, surviving seeds, roots, and organisms in the soil can quickly reestablish vegetation and energy flow, allowing a relatively rapid progression back toward a mature community. This contrasts with primary succession, which starts on bare rock or where soil has been destroyed, so the process must build soil from scratch with initial colonizers that can tolerate bare conditions. So, after events like a wildfire that wipes out aboveground life but leaves the soil (and seed bank) in place, the recovery follows secondary succession.