Lodgepole pines in the Rocky Mountains have serotinous cones that only release seeds after these events. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name these destructive events that regularly reset the ecological succession cycles of pine savannas. Hot, arid ecosystems like the Australian bush and California often undergo secondary succession after these events.
ANSWER: wildfires [accept forest fires, wildland fires, bushland fires, or rural fires; prompt on disturbances]
[10h] Post-wildfire communities are dominated by this type of pioneering plant species that colonizes an area immediately following a disturbance. These species are contrasted with competitive and stress-tolerant species in Grime’s CSR model.
ANSWER: ruderal species
[10m] In contrast to ruderal species, competitive species tend to dominate during this stage of succession characterized by tall, thick trees. This type of steady-state community was once considered the endpoint of ecological succession.
ANSWER: climax community [or climax state or climax stage]
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