Reestablishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where soil has been left intact is known as which process?

• A. Secondary Succession
• B. Primary Succession
• C. Pioneer Species
• D. Limiting Factor

Answer: (A)

This is secondary succession. When a disturbance damages an ecosystem but leaves the soil intact, recovery proceeds using seeds, roots, and organisms already present in the soil, along with those that survive the disturbance. Over time, the community becomes more complex and moves toward the pre-disturbance state as species recolonize and reestablish, drawing on the nutrient-rich soil that remains. Primary succession would occur on bare rock or ground with no soil at all, so it doesn’t fit this scenario. Limiting factor is about resources that constrain growth, not the type of recovery process, and pioneer species are initial colonizers rather than the process itself.