Habitat Final Review Questions

what is the definition of sere?

all of the collective plant communities that will occupy a site over time

The most important contribution that native warm-season grasses have to wildlife habitat is the _____ it provides.

cover

species that use early successional plant communities prefer this percentage of native warm-season grasses

30%

What should you do first before opting to plant native warm season grasses

evaluate the seedbed; eradicate all non-native plants

to kill exotic cool season grasses, the best practice is to treat them with the appropriate herbicide during ____ time of year, whereas you should treat exotic warm season grasses during ____ time of year.

most susceptible to herbicides during their period of active growth

- for cool season = in fall

- for warm season = late winter/early spring

one of the most effective ways of reducing grass density in early successional areas is to do this during winter.

disking

what is the preferred foraging depth of dabbling ducks like mallards?

< or = 18 inches

during which season is it acceptable for moist soil units managed for waterfowl to be dry?

summer

what is the unit of measurement typically used by waterfowl managers to serve as an index for foraging availability for waterfowl?

duck-use days

why is it important to partially obscure wood duck nesting boxes under the canopy?

to prevent brood parasitism

name two water controlled structures used to manage waterfowl impoundments.

flashboard riser and rice trunk (also Clemson pond leveler)

what time of year do waterfowl managers typically manipulate vegetation (such as successional stage) in waterfowl impoundments?

summer (when its dry)

in deer, the relationship between (idk) capacity and digestibility of forage dictates that on a ____ quality diet deer can actually eat ___.

higher; more

when overabundant, deer can negatively affect habitat conditions for themselves and other wildlife by doing this.

altering tree species composition in the forest; increasing/releasing undesirable plant spp. into the understory;

based on the study we discussed in class, predation risk for white-tail deer fawns was ____ for fawns with home ranges containing fewer kinds of cover types

higher

approximately how often would you burn in a typical pine if you were trying to manage for wild turkey nesting cover?

3-5 yrs

according to recent results from a Tennessee study we discussed in class, wild turkey nest success was this many times greater in early successional plant communities.

2x greater

which of the following cover types is most limiting to wild turkeys on an average property?

a. brooding cover

b. fall/winter forage

c. roosting cover

d. loafing cover

a. brooding cover

which of the following areas provides the greatest insect abundance and diversity for quail chicks and turkey poults?

a. a mowed old field

b. a mid-successional area dominated by heavy shrub and scrub

c. an early successional area dominated by native grasses and forbs

d. a late successional forest

c. an early successional area dominated by native grasses and forbs

mowing should not be used as a primary tool to manage early successional plant communities because

increases thatch

which of the following areas would not provide preferred forage for wild turkey during fall and winter

a. annually burned open pine stand

b. periodically mowed field

c. open canopy pine forest burned every 3-5 yrs

d. hardwood forest primarily comprised of native forbs (?)

d. hardwood forest primarily comprised of native forbs (?)

the graph presented in lecture shows that quail declined alongside songbirds like field sparrows and grasshopper sparrows indicates that quail decline is driven by:

a. a loss of quality early successional plant communities

b. increasing aerial predation

c. red imported fire ant colonization

d. feral pig rooting

a. a loss of quality early successional plant communities

if you wanted to start managing for quail (in AL), the first step would often be to do these two things:

open the canopy and reduce invasive grasses

how large of ranges on average do quails require?

thousands of acres

which of the following provides supplemental feeding for quail?

a. corn

b. milo

c. poppyseed

d. sunflowers

b. milo

in class we went over data from AL and SC on quail hunting mortality. Based on this data, they showed quail hunting mortality is an ___ mortality.

a. additive

b. compensatory

additive

what is the primary reason that red-cockaded woodpeckers are no longer loblolly pine occupants?

nest predation (?) nest box (?)

how do habitat managers protect red-cockaded woodpecker cavities from prescribed fire?

space trees farther apart

what is the most important precaution to take when implementing habitat management techniques in areas with gopher tortoises?

burrow collapse (heavy equipment)

what groups of plants dominates the gopher tortoises diet?

grasses

according to the paper we discussed in class, Hermann et. al., some of the highest-density gopher tortoise populations were found on properties managed for this species.

quail