Ecology 5th Edition by Manuel Molles

Exercise 20

The rapid succession shown by the Sycamore Creek ecosystem is impressive. How might natural selection influence the life cycles of the organisms living in Sycamore Creek? Imagine a creek that floods about twice per century. How quickly would you expect the community and ecosystem to recover following one of these rare floods? Explain your answer in terms of nat­ural selection by flooding on the life cycles of organisms.