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 index is most commonly used to quantify species diversity by combining richness and evenness?
Answer: Shannon-Wiener index (H')
The Shannon-Wiener index accounts for both the number of species and the evenness of their relative abundances.
Forest fragmentation most directly threatens wildlife populations through which mechanism?
Answer: Edge effects and reduced interior habitat
Fragmentation creates disproportionate edge habitat and reduces interior forest, harming interior-obligate species.
Which nutrient is most commonly the primary limiting factor for tree growth in boreal forest ecosystems?
Answer: Nitrogen
Cold temperatures slow decomposition and nitrogen mineralization, making N the key growth-limiting nutrient in boreal forests.
What is the ecological function of coarse woody debris (CWD) on a forest floor?
Answer: It serves as habitat, moisture reservoir, and nutrient pool
CWD supports salamanders, invertebrates, fungi, and slow-release nutrients while retaining soil moisture.
In a temperate deciduous forest, leaf litter decomposition is fastest under which conditions?
Answer: Warm, moist conditions with diverse invertebrate communities
Warm, moist environments maximize microbial and invertebrate decomposer activity, accelerating litter breakdown.
Which silvicultural concept describes the vertical layers of a forest from ground to canopy?
Answer: Stand stratification
Stand stratification refers to the distinct vertical layers: ground, herb, shrub, subcanopy, and canopy.
A watershed study shows that clear-cutting a forested catchment initially increases streamflow. What is the primary reason?
Answer: Removal of trees eliminates evapotranspiration
Trees transpire large volumes of water; their removal reduces evapotranspiration, leaving more water to become streamflow.