The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens caused tragic loss of life and property, but also created a unique opportunity to study a huge disturbance of natural systems and their subsequent responses. This book synthesizes 25 years of ecological research into of volcanic activity, and shows what actually happens when a volcano erupts, what the immediate and long-term dangers are, and how life reasserts itself in the environment.

Based on one of the most studied cases of volcanic activity, this book synthesizes the comprehensive research conducted for twenty-five years since the eruptions of Mount St. Helens. Research from geology as well as plant and animal ecology has been integrated into a complete, long- term study of the effects of volcanic activity. The authors contribute first-hand knowledge of this significant event, and its aftermath in the natural history of the earth. Questions about what actually happens when a volcano erupts, what the immediate and longterm dangers are, and how life reasserts itself in the area are discussed in full detail.

Disturbance, Survival, and Succession: Understanding Ecological Responses to the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens.- Geological and Ecological Settings of Mount St. Helens Before May 18, 1980.- Physical Events, Environments, and Geological¿Ecological Interactions at Mount St. Helens: March 1980¿2004.- Survival and Establishment of Plant Communities.- Plant Responses in Forests of the Tephra-Fall Zone.- Plant Succession on the Mount St. Helens Debris-Avalanche Deposit.- Geomorphic Change and Vegetation Development on the Muddy River Mudflow Deposit.- Proximity, Microsites, and Biotic Interactions During Early Succession.- Remote Sensing of Vegetation Responses During the First 20 Years Following the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens: A Spatially and Temporally Stratified Analysis.- Survival and Establishment of Animal Communities.- Arthropods as Pioneers in the Regeneration of Life on the Pyroclastic-Flow Deposits of Mount St. Helens.- Posteruption Arthropod Succession on the Mount St. Helens Volcano: The Ground-Dwelling Beetle Fauna (Coleoptera).- Causes and Consequences of Herbivory on Prairie Lupine (Lupinus lepidus) in Early Primary Succession.- Responses of Fish to the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens.- Amphibian Responses to the 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens.- Small-Mammal Survival and Colonization on the Mount St. Helens Volcano: 1980¿2002.- Responses of Ecosystem Processes.- Mycorrhizae and Mount St. Helens:Story of a Symbiosis.- Patterns of Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling Across a Volcanic Disturbance Gradient: A Case Study Using Rodent Carcasses.- Lupine Effects on Soil Development and Function During Early Primary Succession at Mount St. Helens.- Response and Recovery of Lakes.- Lessons Learned.- Ecological Perspectives on Management of the Mount St. Helens Landscape.- Overview of Ecological Responses to the Eruption of Mount St. Helens: 1980¿2005.