Question

16. The following section focuses on the recolonization of an area after a volcanic eruption.Kilauea is a Hawaiian volcano that erupted in 1959, destroying vegetation and animal life over an area of 5 million square meters.Before the eruption many organisms lived on the volcano in a rain forest community. The rain forest was dominated by ohia trees and two species of tree ferns. Small trees, tall shrubs, and herbaceous plants (plants lacking woody tissues) were also present.After the eruption, scientists closely monitored the area to track the recolonization of the devastated habitat. Scientists did not find any organisms living in this area for the first six months following the eruption. The table below shows the changes in one localized area that was covered by a massive amount of lava rock with many cracks and crevices. Despite the colonization of the area by several different types of organisms by year 9, the overall cover of the habitat was so low that the surface still looked barren.Most organism were unable to live in the area for the first six months after the eruption. Which of the following changes most likely needed to occur in the area so the organisms could return there?increase in oxygenincrease in soil nutrientsincrease in sunlightincrease in temperature

Answer 1

The volcanic eruption destroyed the ecosystem that are around the Kilauea, killing plants and animals, as well the abiotic resources in the area. The scientists that monitored the area after the eruption observed important steps of the ecological sucession in the environment, like the colonization by different types of organisms over the 9 years of area monitoring, being able to notice that the surface still looked barren even after 9 years. Most organisms were unable to survive in the area in the first 6 months because of the effects of the eruption, being between the options the change that most likely needed to occur in the area was the increase in soil nutrients for the pioneers species grown in the region.