Causes and consequences of herbivory on prairie lupine (Lupinus lepidus) in early primary succession

Abstract

Primary succession, the formation and change of ecological communities in locations initially lacking organisms or other biological materials, has been an important research focus for at least a century (Cowles 1899; Griggs 1933; Eggler 1941; Crocker and Major 1955; Eggler 1959; Miles and Walton 1993; Waker and del Moral 2003). At approximately 60 km², primary successional surfaces at Mount St. Helens occupy a minor proportion of the blast area, yet they are arguably the most compelling. The cataclysmic genesis of this landscape, its utter sterilization, and the drama of its reclamation by living organisms stimulate the imagination of scientists and nonscientists alike. These primary successional surfaces are the most intensively monitored areas at Mount St. Helens because of what they may teach us about the fundamental mechanisms governing the formation and function of biological communities. At a practical level, understanding successional processes provides a conceptual basis for the restoration of devastated landscapes (Bradshaw 1993; Franklin and MacMahon 2000; Walker and del Moral 2003).

Citation

Bishop, John G.; Fagan, William F.; Schade, John G.; Crisafulli, Charles M. 2005. Causes and consequences of herbivory on prairie lupine (Lupinus lepidus) in early primary succession. In: Ecological Responses to the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens: 151-161