Answer: C. The farmland is undergoing secondary succession, which may or may not restore the original climax community.
Explanation:
Ecological communities are highly <em>dynamic</em>- they gradually evolve. Typically their progression involves:
- colonizing species exploiting uninhabited areas (Primary succession)
- becoming a habitable and increasingly complex community
- there is increased diversity of organisms (Secondary)
The makeup of biological communities is crucial to defining Primary and Secondary succession; eventually, through changes in this makeup, a steady-state or equilibrium is reached called a <em>climax community. </em>While Primary succession starts off with the modification of a previously unoccupied area along with increasing variation; secondary succession begins after major disruption in the community such as fires, storms and flooding.
Like the abandoned farmland near Horatio’s home, secondary communities do not begin with the removal of soil and all biological life; other species, seen here in the grassland, may be more suited to the altered conditions and begin to modify the area creating a new community.
However, the process of becoming a climax community can be pretty complicated- it is very dependent on other factors like temperature and rainfall. Communities that experience rapid change, frequent major disruptions and even human intervention, are less likely to attain a stable equilibrium and may never become climax communities.
Osmosis is the diffusion of water. Water tends to diffuse to the area with a higher concentration of solute. (Particles) In this case, Im assuming the fertilizer is the solute because it contains chemicals. Therefore, since water tends to diffuse to higher concentration of solute, the water in the grass will diffuse out to dilute the fertilizer on the surface of the grass. Without water, the grass will be dehydrated and shrivel up and die. Hopefully you find my answer helpful!