Which of the following is a disturbance event that could initiate succession?
A forest fire can remove vegetation, alter resource availability, and open space, thereby initiating a new successional trajectory. Depending on fire severity, soil and many belowground propagules may remain, making the subsequent process secondary succession rather than primary succession. A disturbance changes the availability of space, resources, and biological legacies, creating opportunities for colonization. Whether succession is primary or secondary depends chiefly on the starting substrate and survival of soil, not simply on the identity of the disturbance. Colonists must arrive, estab
Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 20
