What term describes the rebuilding of a community after it has been destroyed?

The term that describes the rebuilding of a community after it has been destroyed is secondary succession. This process occurs in environments where a disturbance has already cleared an existing ecosystem but left the soil intact. For example, after events like wildfires, floods, or human activities such as farming are discontinued, the ecological community can recover and rebuild over time.

During secondary succession, species that were previously present can often recolonize the area more quickly because the soil, along with its nutrients, remains. This contrasts with primary succession, which happens in lifeless areas where soil has not yet formed, such as after a volcanic eruption or glacial retreat, necessitating a longer process of community development.

In pioneer succession, which is often a part of primary succession, the very first species, usually hardy and fast-growing species like lichens and mosses, start to establish in a barren environment. While environmental recovery can describe a similar phenomenon broadly, the term secondary succession is more specific and widely used within ecological study to denote the secondary stages of community rebuilding.