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Q: Ecological succession has been compared to the development of an organism and

Ecological succession has been compared to the development of an organism and the climax community to a kind of superorganism. F. E. Clements (1916, 1936) was the best-known proponent of this idea, an...

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Q: When Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted in 1980, it

When Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted in 1980, it created a gradient in disturbance. In the pumice plains near the eruption, the devastation was almost total. The extent of disturbance was much...

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Q: In the studies of mechanisms underlying succession, ecologists have found a

In the studies of mechanisms underlying succession, ecologists have found a great deal of evidence for both facilitation and inhibition. However, they have found little evidence for the tolerance mode...

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Q: The rapid succession shown by the Sycamore Creek ecosystem is impressive.

The rapid succession shown by the Sycamore Creek ecosystem is impressive. How might natural selection influence the life cycles of the organisms living in Sycamore Creek? Imagine a creek that floods a...

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Q: In most studies of forest succession such as that of Reiners and

In most studies of forest succession such as that of Reiners and colleagues (1971) and Oosting (1942), researchers study succession by comparing sites of various ages. This approach is called a “space...

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Q: The successional studies in Sycamore Creek produced patterns of variation in diversity

The successional studies in Sycamore Creek produced patterns of variation in diversity that differed significantly from those observed during primary succession at Glacier Bay (see fig.&Ac...

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Q: Would you expect the number of species to remain indefinitely at the

Would you expect the number of species to remain indefinitely at the level shown in figure 20.7? Space on large, stable boulders in Sousa’s study site is dominated by the...

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Q: As we saw in figure  20.5, Johnston and Odum

As we saw in figure  20.5, Johnston and Odum (1956) documented substantial change in the richness of bird species in a successional sequence going from the earliest stages in which the pla...

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Q: Suppose you are a director of a captive breeding program for a

Suppose you are a director of a captive breeding program for a rare species of animal, such as Siberian tigers, which are found in many zoos around the world but are increasingly rare in the wild. Des...

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Q: If rates of decomposition are higher in ecosystems with higher nutrient availability

If rates of decomposition are higher in ecosystems with higher nutrient availability, how should nutrient enrichment affect rates of decomposition? Because of its effects on fungal diversity, could nu...

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