12 Questions
What did Charlie Crisafulli and another ecologist spot as the first plant on Mount St. Helens?
A lone lupine plant
Why were lupines able to colonize the barren landscape on Mount St. Helens despite the poor nutrient availability in the volcanic ash?
Lupines could fix nitrogen, enriching the soil
What did the lupine plants physically trap, contributing to the enrichment of the soil?
Windblown debris
How did insects contribute to enriching the soil around the lupine plants?
By dying on or around the plants, enriching the soil with organic matter
What did Crisafulli learn as one of the key lessons of succession from observing the lupine wildflowers?
The importance of chance in ecological development
What was observed to be transported by a log carried downstream in a mudflow to areas devoid of organisms according to Crisafulli's observations?
Nutrients, microbes, fungi, and small animals
What term is used to describe the remnants of old landscape that serve as source populations for species to recolonize a disturbed area?
Biological legacies
What did scientists at Mount St. Helens discover about the influence of biological legacies on plant and animal communities after the eruption?
They strongly influence the development of plant and animal communities.
Why is it now understood to be important to leave some live and dead trees during harvesting in areas affected by disturbances like eruptions?
To improve soil fertility.
What is the role of red alder trees in post-eruption succession at Mount St. Helens?
They fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility.
What changes have occurred in the vegetation of the blast area 30 years after the eruption?
Sun-loving early colonizers intermix with late-successional species.
How long are scientists predicting it will take for the blast area to resemble its pre-eruption state?
Several hundred years
Learn about the research conducted by ecologist Charlie Crisafulli on lupine plants at Mount St. Helens. Discover how lupines play a crucial role in enriching the soil of barren landscapes with their ability to fix nitrogen.
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