Lesson 5.1.2

5.1.2 Succession to a climax community Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield), Unit 5

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 5.1.2, Succession to a climax community: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) (9BI0), Unit 5: On the Wild Side, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What is succession in an ecosystem?

    • Gradual change in species over time to a stable community
    • The sudden destruction of a community by fire or flood
    • The breakdown of organic matter by decomposers in the soil
    • The movement of a population from one habitat to another

  2. What is a climax community?

    • The first community to colonise bare rock
    • A community that has been destroyed by disturbance
    • A community made only of pioneer species
    • A stable community in balance with its environment

  3. Which organisms are typically the first colonisers of bare rock?

    • Large mammals
    • Oak trees
    • Lichens and mosses
    • Coral reef fish

  4. How do pioneer species alter their habitat?

    • They make the soil more acidic so that nothing else can grow
    • They prevent any other species from colonising the area
    • They remove all water from the habitat permanently
    • They add organic matter, building soil for others

  5. Why do later successional species tend to be shade-tolerant?

    • Shade increases the light intensity reaching the ground
    • Earlier plants shade the ground, lowering light
    • Shade prevents any plant from germinating
    • Shade increases the temperature of the soil significantly

  6. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

    • Primary succession only occurs in water, while secondary succession occurs on land
    • Primary succession follows a disturbance, while secondary succession begins on bare rock
    • Primary starts on bare substrate; secondary follows disturbance
    • Primary and secondary succession are identical processes

  7. A field is left unused after farming stops. Which sequence describes the expected succession?

    • Fish colonise the field before any plants
    • Trees first, then grasses, then no further change
    • Grasses and herbs, then shrubs, then woodland trees
    • Only lichens throughout the whole process

  8. Which change in the abiotic environment typically accompanies succession?

    • Water retention falls to zero as plants grow
    • Soil becomes more alkaline to suit only the pioneer species
    • Soil depth decreases steadily as nutrients are lost
    • Soil depth and water retention increase as organic matter builds up

  9. Why does a climax community tend to remain stable over time?

    • It is in balance with the local climate and soil
    • It has no interactions between species
    • It is constantly changing because new species keep arriving
    • It contains only organisms that do not reproduce

  10. Why might a succession sequence be interrupted by a disturbance such as a fire?

    • The fire permanently produces the climax community in one step
    • It resets the community to an earlier stage
    • The fire stops all plant growth for ever
    • The fire causes the soil to be replaced by rock

  11. A student studies a lichen-covered rock and then a rock with grasses and moss. What does this comparison show?

    • Moss is a climax community in every case
    • Succession is progressing, with later species replacing earlier pioneers over time
    • Lichens and grasses cannot occur in the same area ever
    • The rock has been moved to a new habitat between the two observations

  12. A pioneer community changes the soil so that its own seedlings cannot survive. What is the best description of this effect?

    • Pioneer species have no influence on their environment
    • Pioneer species always die out within one year
    • This effect proves the climax community has been reached
    • Pioneers alter soil, favouring later species

  13. Why is an ecologist able to predict the likely future community on a bare site?

    • Only fossils can show future communities
    • Succession is completely random, so no prediction is possible
    • Succession follows a predictable sequence
    • Predictions require no knowledge of the local climate

  14. Which factor would most likely slow down primary succession on bare rock?

    • A rich supply of organic matter already in the soil
    • A deep soil layer already present
    • Abundant established trees nearby to supply seeds
    • A harsh climate with low rainfall and extreme temperatures

  15. A stable forest community is damaged by a storm that removes many large trees. What is the most likely outcome over time?

    • The forest immediately returns to its original state in one season
    • Primary succession must start from bare rock
    • Secondary succession restarts from an earlier stage and the forest slowly regrows
    • The soil is permanently destroyed and no plants can colonise

  16. Which statement best evaluates the idea that a climax community is always fixed?

    • It is always wrong, because no community ever reaches a stable state
    • A simplification, since disturbance can shift the endpoint
    • It is always correct, because succession never changes
    • It is correct only for communities in water

  17. What role does nitrogen fixation by some early colonisers play in succession?

    • It removes all nitrogen from the soil permanently
    • It prevents water from entering the soil
    • It makes the soil too acidic for any other species
    • It adds usable nitrogen to the soil

  18. A seedling of a shade-tolerant tree is more likely to establish under which condition?

    • In sterile soil with no organic matter
    • Under an existing canopy of lower-light tolerant plants
    • In a permanently flooded environment with no oxygen
    • In full sunlight with no competition at all

  19. A student predicts that succession on a bare site will reach a woodland climax faster in a warm, wet area than in a cold, dry one. What evidence would best test this?

    • Measuring the colour of the rocks at the sites
    • Asking local people which site is more attractive
    • Counting only the number of lichens at one site
    • Comparing succession timing at sites with different climates

  20. In succession, what happens to the diversity of species as the community becomes more stable?

    • It generally increases as more niches become available
    • It remains exactly the same throughout succession
    • It always falls to a single species
    • It rises only in the first year

All Pearson Edexcel Biology A (Salters-Nuffield) quizzes