Question

In ecological succession,
a) Pioneer species move into new communities first
b) Climax communities have lower total biomass than preceding communities
c) Species diversity is greatest in the early stages of succession
d) Climax communities shift constantly
e) All of the above

Answer 1

Hint:Ecological succession is a steady and gradual change in a species of a given area with respect to change in environment.

Complete answer:
To solve this question we have to know about the kind of changes occurring and what are the outcomes of the changes.
Ecological succession is a gradual change in a species with respect to change in environment. The time taken for these changes can be decades or millions of years. The succession can begin with less stable lower diverse communities called the pioneer species to more stable and diverse communities called the climax community. The pioneer species undergo change and new communities are formed from the pioneer community. At each stage new communities are formed which replaces the unstable communities until a stable community is formed. The species diversity is gradual at all stages of succession. In order to maintain equilibrium, the climax communities have the same biomass or the species composition remains constant.

Thus, the correct answer is (A) Pioneer species move into new communities first.

Note:The two important factors which govern the ecological succession are human activities and climatic changes. An example of stages of a succession is pioneer microorganisms to kitchen, grasses, smaller shrubs, trees. Animals begin to propagate when food is available for them.And thus reaches the climax community stage.