Name: ____________________________
Date: _______________________
Period: ______
Mount St. Helen—A Story of Succession
Directions: Read Mount St. Helens—A Story of Succession and answer the following questions.
1. Did any plants survive the eruption? If so, how did they survive?
Plants such as willow, vine maple, and black cottonwood were able to re-sprout from roots. Pacific
silver fir and mountain hemlock were protected by snow.
2. What is the name of plants that survive a major disturbance? What was their role in regenerating
the disturbed area?
They are called survivors or biological legacies. They can recolonize a disturbed area.
3. How was the prairie lupine important to the growth of plants on the barren land found after the
eruption?
They became a microhabitat that was hospitable to other plant species, fixed nitrogen in the soil,
and attracted insects that added organic matter to the soil after they died.
4. What roles did factors such as wind, moisture, and landforms play in succession after the eruption?
Wind blew insects and seeds into the area. Landforms and trees acted as nets to catch the seeds and
insects to help re-establish the ecosystem.
5. What roles did factors such as plant and animal interactions play in succession after the eruption?
Plants and animals attracted other animals.
6. According to your reading of the story, what do you think a “colonizer” is?
A colonizer is a plant that becomes established in a new environment.
7. How has the red alder tree influenced succession?
Red Alder fixed nitrogen, fertilized the soil, added organic matter, and provided shade so shade
tolerant plants could become established in the ecosystem.
8. What do you predict will happen in the blast zone over time?
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9. What might change your prediction?
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