Ecosystem Restoration Flashcards

Which soil amendment is MOST appropriate for restoring nitrogen-limited forest soils without creating long-term nutrient imbalances?

Answer: Nitrogen-fixing cover crop incorporation

Nitrogen-fixing cover crops add biologically available nitrogen gradually through mineralization, avoiding pulse loading that can cause leaching or unwanted species shifts.

In the SAF framework, what distinguishes 'ecological restoration' from 'ecological rehabilitation'?

Answer: Restoration aims to return an ecosystem to its pre-disturbance state while rehabilitation focuses on recovering key functions without full species recovery

Restoration targets return to historical structure and composition, whereas rehabilitation focuses on restoring ecosystem functions and services without necessarily recovering all original species.

Which monitoring metric BEST indicates successful mycorrhizal network re-establishment in a restored forest?

Answer: Seedling root colonization percentage by ectomycorrhizal fungi

Root colonization percentage directly measures whether mycorrhizal fungi have formed functional associations with plant roots, indicating network re-establishment.

A restoration practitioner discovers that a target site has a persistent soil seed bank of invasive plants. The BEST integrated management strategy would be:

Answer: Repeated disturbance cycles (tillage) to deplete the seed bank before native planting

Repeated disturbance cycles stimulate germination of invasive seeds and allow removal before they reset the bank, progressively depleting it prior to native establishment.

What is the primary ecological function of coarse woody debris (CWD) in forest restoration?

Answer: Providing carbon storage, habitat structure, and substrate for decomposers and seedlings

CWD serves as carbon storage, supports decomposer communities, provides microhabitat for wildlife, and creates seedbed substrate essential to forest regeneration.

The 'intermediate disturbance hypothesis' is applied in restoration ecology to suggest that:

Answer: Moderate disturbance frequency and intensity maximizes species diversity

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis proposes that moderate, periodic disturbances prevent competitive exclusion and maintain higher species diversity than either very frequent or very rare disturbances.

When designing a seed mix for dry ponderosa pine restoration in the U.S. Southwest, which criterion should take HIGHEST priority?

Answer: Local provenance within the same seed zone to ensure climatic adaptation

Local provenance seed is best adapted to regional climate, soils, and disturbance regimes, maximizing establishment success and long-term persistence in the restored ecosystem.