Question

Suppose that a late succession plant that is surrounded by early succession plants grows at a rate of 0.5 cm per day. If the early succession plants are removed experimentally, the late succession plants are observed to grow at a rate of 0.9 cm per day. This experiment shows that the early succession plants have a _______ effect on the late succession plants, and this observation is most consistent with the _______ model of succession.

Answer 1

Answer:

negative, inhibition

Explanation:

The experiment in the illustration shows that early succession plants have a negative effect on the late succession plants, and the observation is most consistent with the inhibition model of succession.

That the late succession plant thrives better in the absence of the early succession plants means that the early succession plant has been impacting the growth of the late succession plant negatively. This is consistent with the inhibition model of succession.

There are 3 different models of succession. These include;

1. Facilitation model in which colonists modify the environment to favor the growth of later successional species.
2. Tolerance model in which early colonists' modification of the environment has no positive or negative impact on the growth of later successional species.
3. Inhibition model in which early colonists modify the environment to inhibit the growth of later successional species.