A forester observes a maple seedling grow successfully in a birch stand.Both species thrive.Which is the accepted term for what the forester observed? 

A)  tolerance 
B)  inhibition 
C)  primary succession 
D)  tertiary succession

Tolerance refers to the ability of a species to survive and grow in the presence of other species in an ecosystem. In this case, the maple seedling was able to tolerate being in a stand of birch trees and grow successfully alongside them. Inhibition refers to the suppression of growth or development of one species by another, which is not the case here. Primary succession and tertiary succession refer to the initial colonization of an area and the gradual replacement of species over time, respectively, and are not relevant to this observation.