What type of succession occurs when a pioneer community inhabits an area that previously had no life?

Primary succession refers to the process of ecological development that occurs in an environment that has never previously supported life, such as a barren landscape formed by a volcanic eruption or the exposed rock left after glacial retreat. In these situations, the initial colonization is performed by pioneer species, which are often hardy organisms like lichens and mosses that can survive in harsh conditions and begin to create soil and a more hospitable environment for other species.

As these pioneer species establish themselves and modify the environment, they pave the way for subsequent ecological stages, leading to the development of more complex communities over time. In contrast, secondary succession takes place in areas where a disturbance has cleared out an existing community but left the soil intact, allowing for a quicker recovery and re-establishment of plant life compared to primary succession. The other terms, competitive exclusion and resource partitioning, pertain to the interactions between species rather than the process of ecological succession.