CWD Wetland Functions & Values 3

Question 1

Under the Clean Water Act Section 404 mitigation hierarchy, wetland functional assessments are most directly used to:

Accepted Answer

Determine appropriate compensatory mitigation type and calculate mitigation ratios

Answer

Functional assessments quantify the loss of wetland functions from permitted impacts, which regulators and applicants use to determine the type and amount of compensatory mitigation required to offset those losses.

Question 2

The term 'ombrotrophic' describes a wetland that receives its water and nutrients:

Accepted Answer

Exclusively from precipitation, isolated from groundwater and surface water inputs

Answer

Ombrotrophic wetlands (such as raised bogs) are precipitation-fed systems completely isolated from groundwater and surface water, resulting in low-nutrient, acidic conditions that support highly specialized plant communities.

Question 3

Which wetland function is most critical for maintaining stream base flows and sustaining aquatic ecosystems during dry-weather periods?

Accepted Answer

Groundwater recharge and discharge regulation

Answer

Wetlands that maintain hydraulic connectivity with groundwater systems discharge stored water slowly during dry periods, sustaining stream base flows that support aquatic habitat when precipitation is absent.

Question 4

In wetland mitigation banking, 'functional lift' refers to:

Accepted Answer

The increase in wetland functional capacity achieved from pre-restoration to post-restoration condition

Answer

Functional lift measures the net improvement in wetland functional capacity that a restoration project achieves, providing the basis for calculating the number of mitigation credits a bank can generate.

Question 5

Which coastal wetland ecosystem provides the most significant protection against shoreline erosion and wave energy dissipation?

Accepted Answer

Coastal marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds

Answer

The dense vegetation and root mats of coastal marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds dissipate wave energy, bind sediments, and protect shorelines from erosion and storm surge damage.

(CWD) Certified Wetland Delineator Practice Test

(CWD) Certified Wetland Delineator Practice Test

CWD Wetland Functions & Values 3