2.5 Natural Disruptions to Ecosystems

• What are natural disruptions in ecosystems?

  Significant alterations by natural events
• Wildfires, often caused by lightning, change soil composition
• What is a common cause of floods in ecosystems?

  Heavy rainfall
• Match the natural disruption with its primary cause:

  Hurricanes ↔️ Severe weather patterns

  Droughts ↔️ Prolonged lack of rainfall
• Hurricanes can damage coastal habitats and change water salinity.
• Droughts decrease water resources and kill vegetation
• Why are natural disruptions considered crucial in shaping ecosystems?

  They drive ecological succession
• Steps of ecological succession

  1️⃣ Primary succession on barren land

  2️⃣ Secondary succession in areas with soil
• What are the main causes of volcanic eruptions?

  Tectonic plate movement
• Wildfires are often caused by lightning or dry vegetation
• Hurricanes are caused by warm ocean waters and low atmospheric pressure.
• What are the primary causes of droughts?

  Prolonged lack of rainfall
• What are natural disruptions in ecosystems caused by?

  Natural events without intervention
• Natural disruptions can affect species distribution and ecosystem composition.
• Volcanic eruptions destroy habitats and alter the climate
• What are common causes of wildfires in ecosystems?

  Lightning, dry conditions
• Floods can alter landscapes and redistribute organisms in ecosystems.
• Arrange the following natural disruptions in order of their frequency of occurrence:

  1️⃣ Floods

  2️⃣ Wildfires

  3️⃣ Droughts

  4️⃣ Hurricanes

  5️⃣ Volcanic eruptions
• Hurricanes damage coastal habitats and change water salinity
• What is a drought caused by in an ecosystem?

  Prolonged lack of rainfall
• Match the natural disruption with its effect on the ecosystem:

  Wildfires ↔️ Changes soil composition

  Hurricanes ↔️ Damages coastal habitats

  Floods ↔️ Redistributes organisms
• Ecosystems recover through a process called ecological succession
• Volcanic eruptions are caused by tectonic plate movement and pressure buildup of magma.
• What atmospheric conditions contribute to the formation of hurricanes?

  Warm ocean waters, low pressure
• Volcanic eruptions destroy habitats, leading to barren land for new succession
• What are the starting conditions for primary succession?

  Bare rock or new land
• Arrange the stages of primary succession in chronological order:

  1️⃣ Pioneer species like lichens and mosses create soil

  2️⃣ Grasses and shrubs colonize

  3️⃣ Fast-growing trees establish

  4️⃣ Climax community develops