CORE Wildlife Conservation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law protects migratory birds in the United States by making it illegal to hunt, capture, or possess them without a permit?
- Lacey Act
- Migratory Bird Treaty Act (Correct answer)
- Endangered Species Act
- National Wildlife Refuge Act
Correct answer: Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 protects migratory birds by prohibiting their take, possession, sale, or transport without proper authorization.
Question 2: What is the term for the minimum number of individuals of a species needed to maintain a viable, self-sustaining population?
- Carrying capacity
- Minimum viable population (Correct answer)
- Threshold population
- Keystone number
Correct answer: Minimum viable population
Minimum viable population (MVP) is the smallest population size at which a species can sustain itself without facing extinction from genetic or environmental threats.
Question 3: Which type of wildlife corridor is most effective at connecting two isolated habitat patches for large mammals?
- Stepping-stone corridor
- Riparian buffer
- Landscape-scale corridor (Correct answer)
- Urban greenway
Correct answer: Landscape-scale corridor
Landscape-scale corridors provide continuous, wide connections between habitats, which large mammals require for safe movement and gene flow.
Question 4: An invasive species most directly harms native wildlife by:
- Improving soil nutrients
- Competing for resources and altering habitat (Correct answer)
- Increasing biodiversity
- Providing additional food sources
Correct answer: Competing for resources and altering habitat
Invasive species displace native wildlife by outcompeting them for food, space, and nesting sites while altering the habitat structure native species depend on.
Question 5: What does the term 'surplus harvest' mean in wildlife management?
- Harvesting more animals than the population can replace
- Removing only the annual production above what is needed to maintain population size (Correct answer)
- Releasing captive animals into the wild
- Eliminating predators to increase prey populations
Correct answer: Removing only the annual production above what is needed to maintain population size
Surplus harvest refers to sustainably taking only the animals that the population produces above its stable maintenance level, ensuring long-term population health.
Question 6: Riparian zones are especially important for wildlife because they:
- Provide open grassland for grazing animals
- Serve as habitat edges where forest and grassland meet
- Support high biodiversity and serve as travel corridors along waterways (Correct answer)
- Contain mineral licks that attract large herbivores
Correct answer: Support high biodiversity and serve as travel corridors along waterways
Riparian zones along streams and rivers support exceptionally high biodiversity and function as natural wildlife corridors connecting distant habitats.
Question 7: Which management technique involves intentionally setting fires to maintain wildlife habitat quality?
- Clearcutting
- Prescribed burning (Correct answer)
- Mechanical thinning
- Herbicide treatment
Correct answer: Prescribed burning
Prescribed burning is a controlled use of fire to remove overgrown vegetation, recycle nutrients, and restore habitat conditions that many wildlife species depend on.
CORE Wildlife Conservation 2
Which federal law protects migratory birds in the United States by making it illegal to hunt, capture, or possess them without a permit?