Ecological Succession... What happens when a landscape is drastically altered? Maybe a wildfire wipes out an entire forest... maybe a volcanic eruption like Mount St. Helen's completely decimates an area of ecological balance. Will life ever return? How long does this process take? Today, we looked closer at the process of Ecological Succession in disturbed communities. Fortunately for us, plants are extremely resilient and will almost always return to an extremely disturbed environment. The type and severity of disturbance, however, will greatly impact the pace in which life returns to the area. The quickest and most responsive return of living species follows the process of Secondary Ecological Succession. This typically occurs in response to a disturbance that alters many, but not all of the vegetation. A great example of this is a wildfire!
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Mr. Hulse
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