Question

The first plants to reappear in a badly burned forest area will most probably be
a. Liverworts
b. Ferns
c. Grasses
d. Mosses

Answer 1

As we know that when a forest is burned the habitat is disturbed and the ecology in the area is scattered. During this the pioneers to start the succession are called secondary succession. The species which starts the secondary succession will give space or scope to start or growth of the habitat.

Complete answer:

Option A: Liverworts-
They are the smaller plants with no vascular system within they are considered as spore producing plants they are economically important plants which produce food and can find decaying on the woods but these plants are not considered as the secondary succession plants.

Option B: Ferns-
They are photosynthetic plants that have chlorophyll to synthesize their own food. Ferns are also the spore producing plants and these plants differ from mosses makes it non secondary succession plants.

Option C: Grasses-
Most of the time the seeds of the grasses seem to survive in a normal forest fire so they can regrow once the environmental conditions are stable enough to support but the grasses are not the first plants to grow in the burned forest.

Option D: Mosses-
They are the secondary succession species they mostly colonise in the burned areas they have good capacity to store the nutrients and water and can grow quickly under any extreme conditions.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: Mostly ferns and the mosses hold the capacity to grow. In any extremist conditions but mosses boast their ability to grow the nutrients or any support stability from the burned ground to ensure the growth and start the habitat so that the soil will be able to hold all the required plants to restart the ecology.