B.F. Bachelor of Forestry Bachelor of Forestry Wildlife Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of prescribed fire application is used to reduce fuel loads and improve wildlife habitat by burning against the direction of wind spread?
- Head fire
- Backing fire (Correct answer)
- Flanking fire
- Spot fire
Correct answer: Backing fire
A backing fire burns slowly into the wind, producing lower flame lengths and heat intensity, making it safer and more controllable for habitat management objectives.
Question 2: The Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act funds state wildlife programs primarily through which mechanism?
- General federal income tax revenues allocated by Congress
- An excise tax on sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment (Correct answer)
- Hunting license fee surcharges collected by states
- Annual appropriations from the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Correct answer: An excise tax on sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment
Pittman-Robertson (1937) places an excise tax of 10–11% on firearms and ammunition, with revenues distributed to states for wildlife restoration and hunter education.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a 'nest box program' implemented by a wildlife biologist in a managed forest?
- To monitor invasive species reproduction
- To supplement natural cavity availability for secondary cavity-nesting species (Correct answer)
- To provide nesting structures for raptors on utility poles
- To attract colonial waterbirds away from sensitive wetlands
Correct answer: To supplement natural cavity availability for secondary cavity-nesting species
Nest boxes compensate for the scarcity of natural cavities in intensively managed forests, directly benefiting species like wood ducks, screech owls, and bluebirds.
Question 4: Population viability analysis (PVA) is primarily used in wildlife management to:
- Calculate maximum sustainable harvest quotas for game species
- Estimate the probability of a population persisting over a specified time period (Correct answer)
- Map suitable habitat using remote sensing data
- Determine optimal stocking densities for game fish
Correct answer: Estimate the probability of a population persisting over a specified time period
PVA uses demographic and stochastic models to estimate extinction risk, helping managers identify minimum viable population sizes and critical threats.
Question 5: Which concept describes how different species in a community partition resources to reduce direct competition and allow coexistence?
- Competitive exclusion
- Niche differentiation (Correct answer)
- Interspecific facilitation
- Trophic cascade
Correct answer: Niche differentiation
Niche differentiation occurs when species exploit different resources, microhabitats, or times of activity, reducing overlap and enabling stable coexistence.
Question 6: A wildlife manager finds that wild turkey poult survival is extremely low. Which habitat feature, if improved, would MOST directly increase poult survival?
- Old-growth timber stands with closed canopy
- Brood habitat with herbaceous ground cover and insect abundance (Correct answer)
- Dense brushy thickets for adult roosting
- Large wetland complexes for water access
Correct answer: Brood habitat with herbaceous ground cover and insect abundance
Turkey poults require open, herbaceous brood habitat rich in insects for protein; without this specific habitat, poult starvation and predation losses are severe.
Question 7: Which term describes the annual home range pattern where an animal uses different seasonal areas for breeding, wintering, and feeding?
- Dispersal
- Seasonal migration or seasonal movement (Correct answer)
- Philopatry
- Nomadism
Correct answer: Seasonal migration or seasonal movement
Seasonal movement or migration involves predictable shifts between distinct areas used at different times of year, driven by resource availability and reproductive needs.
B.F. Bachelor of Forestry Bachelor of Forestry Wildlife Management 4
Which type of prescribed fire application is used to reduce fuel loads and improve wildlife habitat by burning against the direction of wind spread?