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Question #46612
The Question
In a terrestrial ecosystem, a climax community is established with a stable thermal niche and complex biotic interactions. If a sudden, prolonged thermal deviation causes mass mortality of the dominant canopy species, how will this environmental resistance alter the successional dynamics?
Options
- A.
It triggers primary succession, as the thermal stress completely degrades the soil profile, favoring autotrophic microbes.
- B.
It induces retrogressive succession, shifting the community structure from K-selected specialists to r-selected opportunists.
- C.
It accelerates the seral stages, allowing the immediate establishment of a new, more complex climax community.
- D.
It causes the ecosystem to reach a state of arrested succession dominated exclusively by shade-bearing K-selected species.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Comparative_Analysis
Sharpen your ability to evaluate multiple scenarios and distinguish between competing potential answers.
Concepts Behind This Question
Thermal Tolerance Ranges|Alien Species Invasion Impacts|Species-Area Relationship
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: Linking successional directionality with life-history strategies (r vs.
K selection) under stress.
Common Misconception: Students often view succession as a strictly unidirectional process.
They fail to recognize that severe environmental resistance, such as thermal stress, causes retrogressive succession, replacing stable K-selected climax species with resilient r-selected early seral species.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Organisms and Populations - Class 12 |
| Concept | Thermal Tolerance Ranges |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |