B.F. Bachelor of Forestry Bachelor of Forestry Wildlife Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a wildlife corridor in landscape-level habitat management?
- To concentrate predators away from human settlements
- To connect fragmented habitat patches and facilitate animal movement (Correct answer)
- To create buffer zones around protected areas for hunting
- To channel migratory birds toward banding stations
Correct answer: To connect fragmented habitat patches and facilitate animal movement
Wildlife corridors link isolated habitat fragments, allowing animals to disperse, find mates, and maintain genetic diversity across the landscape.
Question 2: Which reproductive index is used to assess productivity in ungulate populations by counting the ratio of young to adult females?
- Fecundity rate
- Recruitment ratio (fawn:doe or calf:cow ratio) (Correct answer)
- Net reproductive rate (R0)
- Intrinsic rate of natural increase (r)
Correct answer: Recruitment ratio (fawn:doe or calf:cow ratio)
The fawn-to-doe or calf-to-cow ratio observed during late summer surveys provides a practical index of annual recruitment success in ungulate herds.
Question 3: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk is caused by which type of pathogen?
- Bacteria
- Virus
- Prion (misfolded protein) (Correct answer)
- Fungal spore
Correct answer: Prion (misfolded protein)
CWD is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy caused by abnormally folded prion proteins that affect the nervous system of cervids.
Question 4: What is the main goal of adaptive wildlife management?
- To apply fixed management prescriptions regardless of monitoring outcomes
- To use monitoring data to adjust management actions in an iterative learning cycle (Correct answer)
- To maximize harvest yield annually without regard to population fluctuations
- To eliminate all non-native species from managed landscapes
Correct answer: To use monitoring data to adjust management actions in an iterative learning cycle
Adaptive management treats management actions as experiments, using results from monitoring to refine future decisions in a structured feedback loop.
Question 5: A forest wildlife biologist observes cavity-nesting birds declining in a managed pine plantation. What is the MOST likely cause?
- Overabundance of competing herbivores reducing ground cover
- Removal of snags (standing dead trees) during timber harvesting operations (Correct answer)
- Excessive understory burning eliminating ground-nesting sites
- Predator release following elimination of apex predators
Correct answer: Removal of snags (standing dead trees) during timber harvesting operations
Cavity-nesting birds depend on snags for nesting and roosting; their removal during salvage logging or site cleanup is the primary factor reducing these birds in plantations.
Question 6: Which water development structure built by wildlife managers creates shallow wetland habitat especially beneficial for waterfowl and wading birds?
- Gabion check dam
- Impoundment with a water control structure (Correct answer)
- Riprap bank stabilization
- French drain tile system
Correct answer: Impoundment with a water control structure
Impoundments with adjustable water control structures allow managers to manipulate water levels seasonally to maximize waterfowl habitat quality.
Question 7: In the context of forest wildlife management, what does the term 'mast' refer to?
- The woody trunk of a dominant overstory tree
- Hard and soft fruits produced by trees and shrubs used as wildlife food (Correct answer)
- Tall emergent vegetation in wetland habitats
- The main structural support of a nest platform
Correct answer: Hard and soft fruits produced by trees and shrubs used as wildlife food
Mast includes hard mast (acorns, hickory nuts) and soft mast (berries, cherries), which are critical high-energy food sources for many forest wildlife species.
B.F. Bachelor of Forestry Bachelor of Forestry Wildlife Management 3
What is the primary purpose of a wildlife corridor in landscape-level habitat management?