"Pioneer species" is the term which best describes the role of the prairie lupine plant in ecological succession.
Pioneer species are hardy species that are the first to take over barren habitats or formerly biodiverse steady-state ecosystems which have been disturbed, such as by volcanic eruption.
Nitrogen-fixing plants like lupines (Lupinus sp.) are crucial to primary succession since they enrich the otherwise insupportable soil and permit other species to establish themselves afterwards.
Every prairie lupine plant formed a microhabitat that was favorable to several other plant species after the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Apart from enriching the soil by fixing nitrogen, the lupines also physically captured windblown debris and attracted insects. After the insects died, their remains enhanced the soil with organic matter.
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