B.S.F. or B.Sc.F. Bachelor of Science in Forestry Bachelor of Science in Forestry: Wildlife Ecology and Habitat Preservation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the term for the phenomenon where species richness on habitat islands increases with island area?
- Metapopulation dynamics
- Species-area relationship (Correct answer)
- Island biogeography equilibrium
- Habitat heterogeneity index
Correct answer: Species-area relationship
The species-area relationship, described by the equation S = cA^z, predicts that larger habitat patches support more species than smaller ones.
Question 2: Riparian buffer zones adjacent to streams primarily benefit wildlife by:
- Increasing water temperature for cold-water fish species
- Providing shade, food, and cover while filtering agricultural runoff (Correct answer)
- Reducing the need for prescribed fire management
- Concentrating deer and elk away from upland areas
Correct answer: Providing shade, food, and cover while filtering agricultural runoff
Riparian buffers shade streams to maintain cool temperatures, provide mast and invertebrate food sources, offer cover, and intercept sediment and nutrients from adjacent lands.
Question 3: Which habitat management technique is most effective for maintaining early-successional habitat for species like golden-winged warblers?
- Selective harvesting of mature overstory trees
- Prescribed fire or mechanical disturbance to set back succession (Correct answer)
- Planting native conifers in open areas
- Restricting all human disturbance for 50+ years
Correct answer: Prescribed fire or mechanical disturbance to set back succession
Prescribed fire and mechanical treatments like mowing or roller-chopping reset plant succession, creating the shrubby young forest conditions early-successional wildlife require.
Question 4: The biological concept of 'source-sink dynamics' in metapopulation ecology refers to:
- Water flowing from upland source areas into wetland sinks
- High-quality habitats producing surplus individuals that supplement declining sink populations (Correct answer)
- Carbon sequestration rates across different forest types
- Nutrient cycling between soil horizons
Correct answer: High-quality habitats producing surplus individuals that supplement declining sink populations
Source habitats have positive population growth rates and export individuals to sink habitats, where reproduction alone cannot sustain the local population.
Question 5: Snag retention in managed forests is most critical for which wildlife guild?
- Migratory songbirds using forest canopy foliage
- Cavity-nesting birds and mammals dependent on dead wood (Correct answer)
- Ground-nesting waterfowl in forested wetlands
- Large ungulates requiring open travel corridors
Correct answer: Cavity-nesting birds and mammals dependent on dead wood
Primary cavity excavators like woodpeckers and secondary cavity users like owls, bluebirds, and flying squirrels depend entirely on standing dead trees for nesting and roosting.
Question 6: Which index is commonly used to assess habitat quality for wildlife based on cover, food, and water availability?
- Shannon diversity index
- Habitat suitability index (HSI) (Correct answer)
- Biological condition gradient
- Index of biotic integrity
Correct answer: Habitat suitability index (HSI)
Habitat suitability index models score habitat quality from 0 to 1 based on species-specific life requisites including food, cover, and water components.
Question 7: Prescribed burning during the dormant season (late winter) in southeastern longleaf pine forests primarily benefits which wildlife species?
- Black bear through increased berry production
- Red-cockaded woodpecker by maintaining open, grassy understory (Correct answer)
- Wild turkey through dense shrub cover for nesting
- White-tailed deer through canopy closure
Correct answer: Red-cockaded woodpecker by maintaining open, grassy understory
Dormant-season fire maintains the open wiregrass understory that red-cockaded woodpeckers require around their cavity trees, reducing hardwood midstory encroachment.
B.S.F. or B.Sc.F. Bachelor of Science in Forestry Bachelor of Science in Forestry: Wildlife Ecology and Habitat Preservation 3
What is the term for the phenomenon where species richness on habitat islands increases with island area?