Bachelor of Forestry Forest Ecosystem Flashcards
7 cards from real B.F. Bachelor of Forestry practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Bachelor of Forestry Forest Ecosystem flashcards as text
Which biogeochemical cycle is most directly disrupted when forest soils are compacted by heavy machinery?
Answer: Water cycle
Soil compaction reduces pore space, impairing infiltration and disrupting the water cycle most immediately.
A forest stand shows declining mycorrhizal diversity after repeated prescribed burns. What is the most likely ecological consequence?
Answer: Reduced nutrient uptake by trees
Mycorrhizal fungi facilitate phosphorus and nitrogen uptake in tree roots, so their decline impairs nutrient absorption.
In a northern hardwood forest, which trophic level contains the greatest total biomass?
Answer: Producers
Producers (trees and plants) hold the largest biomass at the base of the trophic pyramid.
What is the term for the process by which fallen logs gradually release stored carbon back into the atmosphere through microbial decomposition?
Answer: Mineralization
Mineralization converts organic carbon in woody debris into inorganic CO2 via microbial respiration.
A forester observes that a riparian buffer strip significantly reduces nitrate concentrations in stream water. Which process is primarily responsible?
Answer: Denitrification
Denitrifying bacteria in saturated riparian soils convert nitrate to nitrogen gas, removing it from water.
Which forest ecosystem type typically has the highest net primary productivity (NPP) per unit area?
Answer: Tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforests have year-round warmth and moisture, driving the highest NPP of any forest biome.
In forest gap dynamics, what is the primary factor that determines which species colonizes a canopy gap first?
Answer: Dispersal mechanism and seed bank proximity
Species with effective dispersal and nearby seed sources gain first access to newly opened gaps.