Biodiversity - Final

Question 1

What is included in the term ‘biological diversity’ or ‘biodiversity’ (3 main points)?

Answer 1

• GENETIC diversity: genetic variation among individuals
• SPECIES diversity: number and relative abundance of species in an area
• ECOSYSTEM diversity: a variety of unique and distinguishable habitats found in an area

Question 2

Diversity of wildlife =

Answer 2

• DIVERSITY of habitat

Question 3

What are some examples of ECONOMIC importance of biodiversity? (3)

Answer 3

• Biodiversity provides CONSUMPTIVE uses of natural products (timber, fish, game, berries)
• Biodiversity provides NON-CONSUMPTIVE uses such as guiding, recreation, education
• Biodiversity provides future OPTIONS for both consumptive and non consumptive uses in

Question 4

What are some examples of ECOLOGICAL importance of biodiversity? (2)

Answer 4

• Biodiversity is considered the cornerstone to health of the environment
• We depend on the health of the environment for our own health and existence

Question 5

What are the 3 ethical values of biodiversity?

Answer 5

• EXISTENCE value: People conserve an element of biodiversity for its own sake (non-consumptive)
• OPTION value: conserving for later use (sustainability)
• BEQUEST value: conserving for the sake of future generations

Question 6

What are the 3 values that are associated with EXISTENCE value?

Answer 6

• AESTHETIC value: for visual purposes, natural beauty
• INTRINSIC value: mere existence gives it the right to continue and be protected
• SPIRITUAL health: people receive inspirational, religious or cultural benefit from nature

Question 7

What are the 5 main points why we have species at risk in BC?

Answer 7

Not all species can adapt to unnatural pressures of:

• Invasion of exotic plants and animals
• Access
• Urban and resource development
• Pollution
• LOSS or FRAGMENTATION and unnatural changes to habitat

Question 8

What is meant by “biodiversity provides resiliency to ecosystems”?

Answer 8

• Biodiversity provides the CAPABILITY to ADAPT to change in the environment WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT LOSS in ecosystem function

Question 9

What is the ‘umbrella’ or ‘coarse-filter’ approach to managing landscapes?

Answer 9

Protecting LARGE AREAS like riparian management areas. Protecting these areas protects:

• water quality
• fish habitat
• riparian veg
• species at risk that rely on riparian areas
• ecosystem function and structure

Question 10

What 2 assumptions is the CFA coarse filter/umbrella approach based on?

Answer 10

• MANAGEMENT DISTURBANCES should MIMIC conditions under which natural systems evolved
• More closely managed disturbances EMULATE NATURAL DISTURBANCES, the lower the risk of losing natural biodiversity gets

Question 11

In general, what does the CF/umbrella approach involve?

Answer 11

• maintaining the essential structural attributes of each type of habitat
• maintainng the full range of types of habitats and seral stages within a particular ecosystem
• ecosystem processes

Question 12

Why should the CF approach mimic natural patterns?

Answer 12

• Lowers the risk of losing biodiversity, animals know how to cope better

Question 13

What are the three principles that the CFA is based upon?

Answer 13

1. FOREST habitats can be GROUPED into 3 categories (early-seral stage, mid-seral stage, late-seral stage)
2. VERTEBRATES tend to be associated with the structural attributes rather than stand age per se
3. some OLD-GROWTH DEPENDANT species may require microclimate conditions of late-seral forests

Question 14

Provide examples of ‘stand-initiating’ and ‘stand-maintaining processes

Answer 14

• Wildfire (Kamloops)
• Windstorms
• Snow avalanches
• Landslides
• Flooding
• Insect outbreaks
• Disease

Question 15

Contrast natural disturbance patterns in coastal versus interior habitats in BC.

Answer 15

Disturbance events (wildfire, insects, timber harvest) much more rare on coastal habitats than in interior habitats

Question 16

What are the 5 Natural Disturbance Types (NDTs)?

Answer 16

• NDT1: ecosystems with rare stand-initiating events
• NDT2: ecosystems with infrequent stand-initiating events
• NDT3: ecosystems with frequent stand-initiating events
• NDT4: ecosystems with frequent stand-maintaining fires
• NDT5: alpine tundra and subalpine parkland

Question 17

Provide examples of stand-level disturbance types. Are these more prevalent in coastal or interior habitats?

Answer 17

• understorey surface fires (common in interior)
• windthrow events (common in coastal)
• wildfires, windstorms, insects, landslides

Question 18

Describe the ‘species-specific’ or ‘fine-filter (FFA)’ approaches.
How does this approach vary from CFA?

Answer 18

• caters to a specific species or unique vegetation community that isn’t met by CFA

Question 19

What are the goals of the FFA?

Provide examples of the FFA to biodiversity management.

Answer 19

FFA protects the critical habitat for species species needs, good for endangered or rare species, or species with special needs.

• The General Wildlife Measures or Identified Wildlife Guidebook act as FFA
• examples: protecting key natal pond for tiger salamander, managing large diameter ponderosa pine for white-headed woodpecker, coastal forests old-growths for marbled murrelet

Question 20

How does the ‘biodiversity guidebook’, ‘riparian guidebook; and ‘identified wildlife guidebook’ relate to each other?

Answer 20

• Biodiversity and Riparian Management Area act as CFA

- General wildlife measures for Identified Wildlife Guidebook act as FFA. Pick up the CFA’s slack

Question 21

What are ‘ecotones” and how do the abiotic and biotic features vary in ecotones relative to the contributing habitats?

Answer 21

An ecotone is the gap between a harvested area and old-growth forest. Gap in forest canopy.

• abiotic: microclimate conditions change from an edge habitat into the intact forest
• biotic: plant and animal species associated with one habitat move into the other

Question 22

Distinguish between ‘hard edges’ and ‘soft edges’

Answer 22

• Hard edge: the edge between patches may be highly contrasting (e.g., trees nextto lakeshore, or tall older trees next to regenerating seedlings).
• Soft edge: along lesser contrasting habitats such as riparian/hardwood interfaces.
• In managed forests, generally as opening sizes decrease the proportion of edgeincreases.

Question 23

How can the shape of disturbances influence proportion of interior habitat?

Answer 23

• A circular or regular shape has less edge habitat and a more intact interior forest despite being the same area
• A small, irregular shaped 2-ha patch of forest may have no forest interior forest.
• same irregular-shaped patch of 100 ha will contain forest interior forest

Question 24

What determines the range of sizes and age classes of cutblocks?

Answer 24

It’s important to have a range in cutblock sizes from small to large, with a corresponding similar range of leave areas, as a means of maintaining biodiversity across landscapes and reducing habitat fragmentation. The scale of sizes to be variable depend on NDT.

Question 25

What are the 6 components of stand-level attributes of managing forest biodiversity?

Answer 25

- wildlife trees - stand structure - coarse woody debris - forest floor - special habitats - tree & vegetation species composition

Question 26

What does stand structure refer to in forest structure and what specifically contributes to stand structure?

Answer 26

Refers to the vertical and horizontal appearance of the stand. - horizontal is a mix of successional stages (older, young, edges, habitat mosaic) - vertical is multiple layers from tall to small trees, shrubs, forbs, grass, moss, CWD

Question 27

State 5 structural characteristics common to old growth? Can you state 9 features?

Answer 27

- Multiple canopy layers of trees - Wide variety of tree sizes (heights and diameters) - Some very large trees (relative to the rest of the trees), scatteredthroughout the stand - Mixed species of conifers and deciduous patches - Significant amounts of course woody debris (CWD) of all sizes and decay - Scattered windthrown trees - Brush pockets associated with canopy gaps - Varying amounts of decadence, (i.e., broken tops, split trunk, multipletops, large limbs) - Significant amounts of lichens growing above ground level on very largetrees

Question 28

What does 'horizontal structure' and 'vertical structure' refer to? Provide examples of how enhancing horizontal or vertical structure can influence biodiversity.

Answer 28

Horizontal structure is a mix of successional stages: older forest, younger forest, creates habitat mosaic - patchiness probides foraging, nesting, resting habitat Vertical structure describes the top to bottom structure of a forest stand - multiple layers from tall and small trees, shrubs, forbs, grasses, moss and CWD - provide structural habitat, forage, interception of snow/rain, minimize temp extremes, array of branches for ungulates

Question 29

How much structure should you induce in managed systems?

Answer 29

- maintain structural diversity elements to provide suitable habitat conditions to meet needs of most native species - use partial cutting and reserve areas that are appropriate for locally occurring species - apply specific practices to protect species at risk

Question 30

What is the definition of a 'wildlife tree'? What influences their value to enhancing biodiversity?

Answer 30

A wildlife tree is any standing dead or live tree withspecial characteristics that provide valuable habitat forthe conservation or enhancement of wildlife. Their value depends on structure, age, condition, abundance, species, geographic location, and surrounding habitat characteristics

Question 31

State 5 characteristics that are preferred when selecting a wildlife tree to maintain on a site? (Can you state 10 features?)

Answer 31

- large size (> 15 m tall, >30 cm DBH interior, and >70 cm DBH preferred) - condition and age (class 2 to 6 most valuable) - location and surrounding habitat features - sound root system - broken top - some large branches - abundance and distribution - evidence of wildlife use

Question 32

Provide examples (6) of functions provided by wildlife trees.

Answer 32

- cavities for nesting, roosts, dens - pertching sites - foraging site for insectivorous birds - cracks and fissures for feeding and nesting/roosting - a source of CWD

Question 33

Provide a general description of the decay classes. Do not need to detail each class, just the general concept.

Answer 33

1. live/healthy: no decay, tree has valuable habitat characterisitics like large, clustered, moss-covered branches 2. live/unhealthy: internal decay or growth deformities (including insect damage) 3. dead: needles/twigs may still be present, roots sound 4. dead: no needles/twigs, 50% of branches lost, loose bark, top usually broken, stable roots 5. dead: most branches/bark absent, some internal decay, roots less stable 6. dead: 2/3 original height, no branches/bark, sapwood/heartwood sloughing, decay more advances, lateral roots softening 7. dead: 1/2 height of original tree, extensive internal decay, outer shell may be had, lateral roots completely decomposed, hollow or almost 8. debris: 1/3 original height, downed trees or stumps 9. pile of crap

Question 34

Detail the features that contribute to 'high', 'medium,' and 'low' value of wildlife trees.

Answer 34

- High has at least 2 of the charactertistics below and where possible, is within the upper 10-15% of the diameter range - Medium: large, stable tree that will likely develop two or more of the above attributes for high - Low: trees not covered by medium or high Internal decay: - A sound, firm outer stem shell - Crevices present (loose bark or cracks suitable for bats) - Large brooms present - Active or recent wildlife use (feeding, nesting, denning) - Tree structure suitable for wildlife use (e.g., large nest, huntingperch, bear den) - Largest trees for site (height and/or diameter) and veterans - Locally important wildlife tree species - Favourably located for use by wildlife

Question 35

Where are the preferred locations for wildlife trees?

Answer 35

- along streams and other wet sites (riparian areas) - along gullies and rocky knolls - in stands of mixed coniferous-deciduous trees

Question 36

What constitutes CWD? State the functional roles CWD perform (8).

Answer 36

CWD consists of fallen trees and other woody material on the forest floor. It's generally considered to be sound and rotting logs, stumps and branches > 10 cm in diameter Functional roles: - contributes to structural diversity of old growth and mature forests - provides feeding, breeding, and shelter substrate - provides habitat for many forest plants, animals, and micro-organisms - provides nutrient source and growing substrate for bacteria and fungi, saprophytic plants, lichens, mosses - carbon storage - erosion control - buffered microclimates suitable for seedling establishment - shelter and access routs for small mammals - influences slope and stream morphology (stream habitat, shapes, channel complexity)

Question 37

Provide a general description of the decay classes. Do not need to detail each class, just the general concept.

Answer 37

1. fallen log with stumpy branches 2. less branches 3. no branches, no bark 4. very decayed 5. fully decayed