NREM 120 Iowa State Exam 3
What program pays farmers to not crop or graze marginal cropland?
Conservation Reserve Program
What can increase connectivity and movement of animals between patches?
Corridors
What is one way to keep nutrients (e.g. nitrogen) on site?
Cover crops
What is true for current wood resources in the U.S.?
Growth is greater than harvest by about 25-30%
What is the greatest threat to biodiversity?
Habitat loss
Why is Norman Borlaug significant?
He bred wheat plants to make them more efficient for harvest, He is the grandfather of the green revolution, He started what would eventually become known as GMOs
What part of the fire triangle is broken with water drops?
Heat
Why are legumes important?
Theycanfixnitrogen
What is approximately the ratio of STRIP to crop?
10% STRIP, 90% crop
Agroforestry is...
An ancient way of managing forests; no longer practiced, A cutting edge tool pushed by academics and the feds, A hippy, tree-hugging, granola eating thing, A way of increasing farmer income
Why is India the #1 harvester of wood worldwide?
Because they use it for wood fuel
Which trees live the longest?
Bristlecone pines
Which organization protects endangered species from international trade?
CITES
What is included under the Multiple Use-Sustained Yield Act of 1960?
Cattlegrazing, Woodharvest, Recreation, Wildlife habitat
What is a metapopulation?
Collection of populations in separate patches
What happens when a grassland is overgrazed?
Desertification
What is NOT a trait of surface fires?
Difficult to control
What is NOT a trait of crown fires?
Easy to control
True or False: Hunting is the most popular activity in National Forests
False
True or False: There are more hunters and fishers than non-consumptive users
False
True or False: There are more wild animals than livestock animals.
False
True or False: There are no ecological systems adapted to fire
False
What happened during the Homestead Act (1862)?
Families moving west would get 160 acres of freeland
What has been the average farming trend in the US since 1950?
Farms have gotten larger, and there are fewer of them
Why is Iowa a tallgrass prairie and not a forest?
Fire
What part of the fire triangle is broken with fire lines?
Fuel
What can create a catastrophic fire?
Fuel build up, High temperatures, Low humidity, High winds
What are the three things needed to produce fire (Fire Triangle)?
Fuel, heat, oxygen
What is the difference between a generalist and a specialist?
Generalists have a broad niche, Specialists have a narrow niche
What is a green certification?
Gives standards for sustainability
Which kinds of birds have suffered the greatest decline?
Grassland
What group of birds has declined the most from anthropogenic effects?
Grassland birds
Where does clearcutting work best?
In fire-adapted forests
What has happened to the average farm production since 1950?
Increased
Which statement is correct for Iowa?
Leads the nation in runoff soil erosion
What is NOT a characteristic of warm season grasses?
Makes up the tundra
What is NOT a trait of fire-accommodating forests?
Many shrubs in understory
Who owns forests (worldwide)?
Mostly publicly owned
What part of the fire triangle is broken with slurry drops?
Oxygen
Who owns the most forest land in the US?
Private individuals
What is the 10 AM rule?
Put out fire by 10am because then it would get worse
What causes the transition from Tall grass and Short grass prairie across the U.S.?
Rainfall
What nation has the greatest amount of forest land (in acres)?
Russia
What is a driving force of grasslands?
Seasonaldormancy, Herbivores, Fire, Management
In fire-adapted forests, what kind of trees grow?
Shade-intolerant trees
What is a problem that can be solved with riparian buffer strips?
Soil erosion
What are ways to control soil erosion
Stream side buffer strips, WindBreaks, Cover crops, Conservation Tilling
What is the difference between surface and ground fires?
Surface burns the understory ,ground burns the actual ground
Which is a process of self-thinning?
Taller trees shade out shorter trees, Insects/disease skill some trees, Wind, snow, other disturbances take out trees
What is succession?
The changes in community structure over time
What is the Haber-Bosch process?
The process in which we can take nitrogen and turn it into a more biologically active form
What will happen to a grassland with no grazing, mowing, or fire?
Trees will start to grow
True or False: hunting ethics came from hunters themselves
True