Question

Julie is studying the clearing of tropical rain forests in Brazil. The land is being cleared for farming, but the poor quality of the soil limits the productivity of the farms. Julie is trying to evaluate the claim that if one of the new farms is abandoned, an ecosystem that is similar to the original rain forest will return to the land.

Which statement is MOST useful for Julie to cite in her evaluation of this claim?

A. Secondary succession always restores the original climax community.
B. Primary succession always restores the original climax community.
C. Secondary succession may not restore the original climax community when the soil structure and microbiome is damaged.
D. Primary succession never restores the original climax community, due to the local extinction of the original species.

Answer 1

B. Primary succession restores land after it has been destroyed

Answer 2

The answer is A. Secondary succession always restores the original climax community.

The land of tropical rain forest is cleared for farming by changing the community structure, without removing the soil, then secondary succession will cause the disturbed ecosystem of rain forest returns to its original climax community. It is because secondary succession generally occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has previously existed and is faster than primary succession.