Fish Habitat & Ecosystem Health Flashcards
7 cards from real CFP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Fish Habitat & Ecosystem Health flashcards as text
Which physical habitat feature is most critical for providing refuge to juvenile salmonids during high-flow events?
Answer: Large woody debris and off-channel alcoves
Large woody debris and off-channel alcoves create low-velocity refugia where juvenile salmonids can shelter during high discharge events.
The term 'hyporheic zone' refers to which part of a stream ecosystem?
Answer: The saturated sediment layer beneath and alongside the stream channel where surface and groundwater mix
The hyporheic zone is the subsurface saturated sediment layer where stream water and groundwater actively exchange, supporting critical biogeochemical processes.
Impaired macroinvertebrate communities with high proportions of Chironomidae and Tubificidae are most indicative of which stressor?
Answer: Organic pollution and low dissolved oxygen
Chironomidae and Tubificidae are pollution-tolerant taxa that dominate when organic enrichment depletes dissolved oxygen, indicating poor water quality.
Which U.S. federal program provides cost-share funding to landowners who voluntarily restore and protect wetlands and grasslands important to fish and wildlife?
Answer: Wetlands Reserve Easement (WRE) under ACEP
The Wetlands Reserve Easement under USDA's Agricultural Conservation Easement Program pays landowners to restore and permanently protect wetland functions.
In stream geomorphology, which channel type described in the Rosgen classification is most likely to exhibit high lateral mobility and frequent gravel bar formation?
Answer: Type C — low-gradient meandering streams with floodplain access
Rosgen Type C streams have low gradients, high width-to-depth ratios, and well-developed floodplains that promote lateral migration and gravel bar formation.
Elevated fine sediment deposition in spawning gravels primarily harms salmonid eggs and alevins by:
Answer: Reducing intergravel flow and oxygen delivery to developing embryos
Fine sediment clogs interstitial spaces, reducing hyporheic flow and oxygen supply to embryos, causing suffocation and increased mortality rates.
Which metric is commonly used to quantify the amount of large woody debris in a stream channel for habitat assessment?
Answer: Pieces per 100 meters of stream length
Large woody debris abundance in stream habitat assessments is standardized as pieces per 100 meters of stream length to allow consistent comparisons across sites.