Answer to Question #307750 in Ecology for Bea

Question

Is it correct to say that a volcanic eruption disrupted the energy flow of an ecosystem because many plants and animals died in a short period of time/ instantly? Ex. plants were covered by ashfall thus wont be able to produce energy and thus dies.

Answer 1

In my opinion it is not true. This is because Crops, forests, orchards, and animals grazing or browsing on the volcano's slopes or surrounding lowland can be leveled or buried , some may even die due to harmful gases produced by the eruption. But that is the short term effect. In the long run, volcanic deposits can advance into some of the richest agricultural lands on earth. especially the Ashfalls ,Ashfall can have giant affects on vegetation tons like pasture land. Physical impacts from additional weight of ash on leaves, partial burial and stem/branch snapping all forestall the plant life herbal approaches such as photosynthesis, transpiration and water content leading to crop failure (Neild et al., 1998).

Rainfall interacting with volcanic gas inside the ash plume may produce acids that fall as acid rain. Continued degassing at the vent may lead to ongoing acid rain even after ashfall ceases. Acid raining falling on plants can lead to both problems for the plant surface, however additionally hydration problems if absorbed through the soils.

Ash deposited on the floor can also purpose also alter soil chemistry, altering the acidity, nutrient content material and water content. Changes to these can all detriment the crop survival (Wilson, 2009).