Which term best describes the process in which each new biological community modifies the environment, making it suitable for the next community to establish?

• A. Natural selection
• B. Speciation
• C. Ecological succession
• D. Genetic drift

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of ecological succession: It is the process by which biological communities change over time, modifying the environment and paving the way for new communities to establish.
2. Compare ecological succession with the other terms provided: Natural selection refers to the process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce, which is unrelated to community modification.
3. Analyze speciation: Speciation is the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution, which does not directly involve the modification of an environment for new communities.
4. Evaluate genetic drift: Genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution that involves random changes in allele frequencies within a population, which does not describe the sequential establishment of biological communities.
5. Conclude that ecological succession is the correct term because it specifically describes the process of environmental modification by one community to make it suitable for the next community.