Habitat Management (Forests & Grasslands)
This controlled management tool is used in both forests and grasslands to clear underbrush, recycle nutrients, and prevent catastrophic wildfires.
What is a prescribed burn?
Often called "Nature's Kidneys," wetlands perform this vital ecosystem service by trapping pollutants and sediment.
What is water filtration (or purification)?
This landmark doctrine within the North American Model states that wildlife belongs to all people, not just private landowners.
What is the Public Trust Doctrine?
This term describes the physical differences between males and females of the same species, such as the bright green head of a Mallard drake versus the brown hen.
What is sexual dimorphism?
These types of ducks feed by tipping their tails up in the air to reach aquatic plants, rather than submerging completely.
What are dabbling ducks (or "puddle ducks")?
This type of forest management involves cutting all trees in an area at once, which can lead to high timber yields but significant habitat disruption.
What is clear-cutting?
This specific type of wetland is dominated by woody plants and trees, unlike a marsh which is dominated by grasses.
What is a swamp?
This 1937 Act creates an excise tax on firearms and ammunition, providing millions of dollars for state wildlife conservation.
What is the Pittman-Robertson Act?
This type of population growth occurs when resources are unlimited, resulting in a "J-shaped" curve.
What is exponential growth?
This species is often used as the "model" for waterfowl management because of its wide range and popularity among hunters and birdwatchers.
What is the Mallard?
In grasslands, this term describes the maximum number of grazing animals an ecosystem can support without damaging the soil or vegetation.
What is carrying capacity?
This term describes the area of land where all water drains into a common body of water, such as a specific wetland or river.
What is a watershed?
This phenomenon occurs when pavement and buildings in cities trap heat, making urban areas significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas.
What is the Urban Heat Island effect?
This level of biodiversity refers to the variety of different types of habitats or ecosystems in a given area.
What is ecosystem diversity?
This management practice involves placing metal or plastic rings on bird legs to track migration patterns and survival rates.
What is banding?
This farming practice involves leaving crop residue on the fields to reduce erosion and improve soil health.
What is conservation tillage (or no-till farming)?
To be classified as a wetland, an area must have these three things: water at or near the surface, hydrophytic plants, and this type of "water-logged" soil.
What is hydric soil?
In environmental economics, this is a cost or benefit of a product that is not included in its market price, such as pollution from a factory.
What is an externality?
Factors like disease or food scarcity that affect a population more intensely as the population size increases are known as these.
What are density-dependent factors?
This specific type of wetland in the Great Plains is considered the "Duck Factory" of North America because it produces over half of the continent's waterfowl.
What are the Prairie Potholes?
These are the three main components of a "Habitat" that managers must ensure are present for wildlife survival.
What are food, water, and cover (or shelter)?
These are the four major "paths" in North America that waterfowl follow during migration.
What are Flyways? (Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific)
This term describes the shift of a population from the countryside to cities, often leading to habitat fragmentation.
What is urbanization?
This is the process by which a new species is formed, often through geographic isolation.
What is speciation?
This is the primary reason waterfowl migrate south in the winter—and it isn't actually because they "get cold."
What is food availability (or resources)?