Final answer:
Communities recover from human-caused disturbances through a process known as secondary succession, which leads to the re-establishment of the original climax community over time. The presence of keystone species and a heterogeneous landscape promotes quicker recovery and maintenance of ecosystem services post-disturbance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Communities recover after human-caused disturbances through a natural process called secondary succession. This process can take substantial time, but it is not completely irreversible.
For example, after a disturbance like a wildfire, initially, the ecosystem is populated by annual plants and pioneer species, which are followed by the emergence of intermediate species such as shrubs, small pines, oaks, and hickories.
Over time, these species help to create conditions that allow the original pre-disturbance vegetation to regain dominance. This final stage is known as the climax community, which is determined by the local climate and geology and remains until the next disturbance.
The recovery of larger animals and plants, including keystone and foundation species, is crucial for restoring ecological processes and allowing ecosystems to adapt to changes such as climate change and habitat loss. Areas of greater landscape heterogeneity with more species richness tend to recover more quickly and maintain higher levels of ecosystem services after a disturbance. Moreover, the soil ecosystem, enriched by nutrients from ash, provides a foundation for rapid recolonization after events such as wildfires.