WILD 3600 Exam 2

What is ecological succession?

The progressive change in plant communities over time.

What is a seral stage?

Each stage of ecological succession.

What factors influence succession?

Soil, climate, topography, and land use history.

What are examples of Stage 1-2 in early succession?

Annual grasses and forbs such as crabgrass, foxtail, and ragweed.

Which wildlife species are associated with Stage 1-2 early succession?

Northern bobwhite, mourning dove, grasshopper sparrow, and eastern meadowlark.

What characterizes Stage 2-5 in early succession?

Perennial grasses, forbs, and brambles.

What wildlife is commonly found in Stage 2-5?

Deer, turkey, eastern cottontail, and indigo bunting.

What types of plants are found in Stage 3 of early succession?

Shrubs and young trees such as eastern redcedar and sweetgum.

What wildlife is associated with Stage 3?

White-tailed deer, turkey, and brown thrasher.

What defines early successional areas?

Areas with less than 30% canopy cover.

What is the importance of native warm season grasses (NWSGs)?

They provide structure for wildlife habitat and reduce predator exposure.

What is the optimal vegetation structure for wildlife habitat?

50% grass coverage and 50% forbs and shrubs.

What is the first step in establishing early succession areas?

Evaluate the seed bank first.

What is the primary purpose of prescribed fire?

To intentionally use fire to meet management objectives and set back succession.

What are the direct effects of fire on wildlife?

Possible nest destruction, mortality, and temporary displacement.

What are the indirect effects of fire?

Changes in vegetation composition, habitat structure, and food availability.

What happens to forest succession with fire in the Southeast?

Pine dominance occurs with fire; without fire, an oak-hickory climax forest develops.

What is the fire return interval for the lower coastal plain?

1-3 years.

How does fire affect forage?

Fire increases palatability, nutrient content, digestibility, and plant productivity.

What is the ideal fire frequency interval for many species?

A 2-year interval.

What are the effects of dormant season burns?

They increase native warm season grasses and lower risk for personnel.

What is a backing fire?

A fire that burns against the wind, characterized by slow spread and high residence time.

What is a heading fire?

A fire that burns with the wind, characterized by fast spread and high intensity.

What is a flanking fire?

A fire that burns perpendicular to the wind, with moderate intensity.

What is the most common fire technique?

Strip head fire.

What are the three main influences on wildlife habitats?

Hardwood control, forb diversity, grass composition.

What are the characteristics of small burns?

Easier to manage and have less wildlife impact.

What benefits do large burns provide?

Greater landscape benefit and increased habitat heterogeneity.

What factors influence fire intensity?

Weather, fuel loads, topography, and ignition patterns.

What is the most common ignition technique?

Strip head fire, which uses multiple ignition lines to increase convection.

What is a ring fire used for?

It is the most intense ignition pattern, mainly used for site preparation or fields.

What is the important rule regarding herbicide use?

The label is the law.

What is aerial application used for?

Large areas, steep terrain, and logging debris.

What are tractor/skidder sprayers used for?

Fields, pine stands, and large areas.

What is the purpose of spot treatment?

To treat individual plants, best when undesirable plant coverage is low.

What is the formula for gallons per acre (GPA)?

GPA = GPM × minutes per acre.

What is glyphosate?

A broad-spectrum herbicide that kills most green plants with no soil activity.

What does 2,4-D target?

Broadleaf plants, not grasses.

What is the purpose of sprayer calibration?

To determine how much spray is applied per acre.

What are compensatory responses in predator control?

Changes in predator population dynamics, such as compensatory reproduction, immigration, and mortality.

What is the effect of predator control on birth rates?

Predator control does not affect birth rates, starvation, or disease.

What is a body-gripper trap used for?

To capture beavers and otters, often restricted to water sets.

What is the purpose of trap preparation?

To reduce scent and prevent rust.

What is the significance of fire frequency in prescribed burning?

It is the most important variable in prescribed burning.

What is the role of early succession in wildlife habitats?

It provides critical habitat for many wildlife species.

What do native warm-season grasses provide?

Structure more than food.

What are the effects of predator trapping on quail populations?

Increased nest success, more nests per hen, and more broods per hen, but higher nesting success does not always increase total population size.

The term that describes all of the plant communities that will occupy a site over time

Sere

An area with 30-80% canopy cover with an understory compromised of a mix of woody and herbaceous plants is known as

Woodland

Over time, grass density often becomes too high in areas managed with frequent fire, especially in full sunlight. One way to reduce grass density is to...

Winter disk

Which time of year is optimal for spraying invasive pasture grasses like bahiagrass and bermuda in early successional areas?

Summer

Which herbicide is recommended for controlling bahiagrass?

Escort

You are working with a landowner who has a 35-acre loblolly pine stand with a dense understory of sweetgums and moderate canopy coverage. The best tool to apply herbicide to control sweetgums would likely be a...

Backpack sprayer

Which herbicide would you use to control grass weeds in a clover food plot?

Clethodim

Which herbicide would be best for spot spraying a variety of undesirable species throughout an area dominated by native grasses and forbs?

Roundup

You need to apply 1.5 ounces of Escort per acre to control bahiagrass in a 7 acre pasture. You are using a sprayer with the following specifications:

• 1.6 gallons of output in one minute of spraying

• Spray width of 26 feet

• Can travel 540 feet in 1 minute

How much water and Escort should you add to the tank to treat the entire field?

Hint: 1 ac = 43,560 square feet

35 gallons water; 10.5 oz Escort

Which season has the greatest number of days suitable for prescribed fire?

dormant season

Which side of the burn unit should always be ignited first?

downwind side

Which ignition pattern has a moderate intensity and burns neither with nor against the wind?

flanking fire

Which of the following are methods to reduce fire intensity? Select all that apply.

 

• place lines closer together

• place lines further apart

• light spots instead of lines

• light lines instead of spots

• light spots instead of lines

• place lines closer together

Just because you protect a game animal from predation at one life stage, it doesn't mean it won't die from something else. This is a description of which term?

compensatory mortality

Research suggest that lethal coyote control has a _________________ effect on fawn survival and/or recruitment.

modest and variable

Research suggests that this habitat variable has the greatest impact on probability of coyote predation for white-tailed deer fawns.

horizontal cover

What is the main goal of using traps with rubber jaws or offset jaws?

reduce blood-flow restriction of captured animals

The study in Mississippi where deer were captured from different parts of the state, fed a high quality diet, and allowed to breed with each other demonstrated that differences in antler quality among regions of the state were primarily driven by...

nutrition

These two food items dominate the annual diets of white-tailed deer.

woody plants and forbs

Deer on a low-quality diet typically eat _______ food than deer on a high-quality diet.

Less

One way to increase nutrition in woodlands managed for deer during the late-summer stress period is to burn during...

winter

Which species should never be planted in food plots for deer?

ryegrass