The plant community on the slope of a mountain side in Superstition Mountains no
ID: 284240 • Letter: T
Question
The plant community on the slope of a mountain side in Superstition Mountains northeast of Phoenix is dominated by the shrubs jojoba and brittlebush, common species of upper elevations of the Sonoran Desert. This site and plant community has not been disturbed for many decades. You have sampled it several times over the past 20 years, and found the relative abundance of plant species, as well as the plant species richness, has not changed substantially over this period. You also obtained photographs of this site that were taken in 1908, and the makeup of the plant community, in terms of dominant species and their relative abundance, appears similar today to what it was in 1908. Most likely, the current plant community that is dominated by jojoba and brittlebush would represent _____ at this site.
the pioneer community
the climax community
an early- to mid-successional stage community (but not pioneer)
a.the pioneer community
b.the climax community
c.an early- to mid-successional stage community (but not pioneer)
Explanation / Answer
Ans: b (The climax community)
Climax community is the stable community of plants which are not replaced by any other plant community. So the shrubs Jojoba and brittlebush being common and stable, belongs to climax community.