Wildlife Conservation Flashcards

What is the significance of the Federal Duck Stamp program for wildlife conservation?

Answer: It generates revenue used to purchase and protect wetland habitat for migratory birds

Proceeds from Federal Duck Stamp sales are used almost entirely to purchase or lease wetland habitat that protects millions of acres for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife.

Which of the following best describes 'adaptive management' in wildlife conservation?

Answer: A cyclical process of setting goals, implementing actions, monitoring results, and revising strategies based on outcomes

Adaptive management treats conservation actions as experiments, using monitoring data to evaluate outcomes and continuously improve management strategies over time.

What role do apex predators play in maintaining ecosystem health?

Answer: They regulate prey populations and indirectly influence vegetation and lower trophic levels

Apex predators control herbivore populations, preventing overgrazing, and their influence cascades through the entire food web to support overall ecosystem health and diversity.

A wildlife biologist finds that a songbird population is declining despite abundant food and no hunting pressure. The most likely cause is:

Answer: Nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds in fragmented habitat

Brown-headed cowbirds are nest parasites that lay eggs in other birds' nests, and their impact intensifies in fragmented habitats where forest-interior songbirds are exposed to more cowbird pressure.

What does 'wildlife carrying capacity' depend on primarily?

Answer: Availability of food, water, shelter, and space within a given habitat

Carrying capacity is determined by the availability of the four basic habitat components — food, water, shelter, and space — which together set the maximum sustainable wildlife population.

Which statement about the relationship between hunters and wildlife conservation in the U.S. is most accurate?

Answer: License fees and excise taxes on sporting equipment fund the majority of state wildlife conservation programs

Through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson), excise taxes on firearms and ammunition — along with hunting license sales — provide the primary funding for state wildlife agencies.

What is the primary threat to amphibian populations globally, including in the United States?

Answer: Habitat loss combined with chytrid fungus disease

Amphibians face a combination of threats, but habitat destruction paired with the deadly chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has caused the most widespread population declines and extinctions.