ESC 425 - Wetlands Systems - Quiz 1 - (open book) (2 pages, 20 points) NAME ___________________________________ You have 30 minutes. Budget your time carefully. If appropriate, describe your methods, assumptions, etc. True / False questions are 1/2 point each. T / F Wetlands conservation can often be justified in economic terms. T / F The fearful and destructive attitude of 19th century Americans toward wetlands was solely due to foolishness and ignorance. T / F A good goal of wetlands management is to re-establish the wetlands that were destroyed in the past 200 years T / F In order to be classified as a wetland by the Corps of Engineers for permitting purposes, an area must exhibit at least two of the following: vegetative indicators, hydric soils, and periodic saturation/inundation T / F Water is supplied to palustrine wetlands only by rainfall. T / F Most palustrine wetlands are the result of ecological succession from lakes. T / F Much of the legislation that is currently being used to regulate, manage, and protect wetlands was originally intended for other purposes. T / F The Swampbuster provision of the 1985 Farm Bill requires farmers to drain wetlands in order to grow crops. T / F Many people object to wetlands regulation on Fifth Amendment grounds. T / F New York State has a wetlands regulation system in place T / F Wetlands are protected and managed by the National Wetlands Protection Act of 1992. T / F From 1988-1996 less than 1% of applications for 404 (dredge and fill) permits were rejected in NYS. Multiple choice questions are 1 point each. Wetlands may be supplied with water from (a) rainfall only (b) surface water flows (c) groundwater (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above What are disadvantages of using common terms such as bog, swamp, marsh, and mire to classify wetlands? (a) these terms are often imprecise and mean different things to different people (b) it is impossible to find these terms in any manuals, text, or literature (c) these terms do not clearly indicate the physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring in the wetland (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above Hydric soils can be identified by: (a) color and/or odor (b) elevation (c) presence of large amounts of organic matter (vegetative debris) in the surface layers (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above Nationwide Permit 26: (a) has been unpopular and controversial (b) is the most widely used Individual-type 404 permit (c) will soon be phased out (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above Wetlands have value for: (a) flood damage control (b) wildlife habitat (c) recreation (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above Each of the following questions is worth 3 points. Answer any THREE. How does the principle “inflow minus outflow equals change in storage” apply to wetlands? How does the source of water for a wetland affect the fertility, nutrient status, and biological productivity of that wetland? What is mitigation banking and why is it an attractive option for many? What is one piece of legislation that was not originally intended to regulate wetlands, but has come to do so? What justification is there for expanding the scope of the legislation to wetlands? 2 ESC 425 - Wetlands Systems - Quiz 2 - (open book) (3 pages, 25 points) NAME ___________________________________ You have 35 minutes. Budget your time carefully. If appropriate, describe your methods, assumptions, etc. True / False questions are 1/2 point each. T / F The hydroperiod of a wetland is defined as how long the wetland is wet each year. T / F The hydrologic renewal rate (turnover rate) is defined mainly by the amount of rain falling on a wetland. T / F The change in storage with respect to time ( ∆V / ∆t ) in a wetland is zero regardless of the size of ∆t T / F Histosols are defined primarily by their water status. T / F With regards to the water balance of a wetland system, residence time is the reciprocal of the turnover rate T / F Tables and graphs are available that help us fairly precisely predict the chemical composition of waters entering a wetland system. T / F The Total Dissolved Solids concentration in surface inflows to wetlands can be estimated to be between 100 ppm and 1000 ppm about 75% of the time. T / F As we used the term in class, a Black Box is a type of measurement instrument T / F Availability of a chemical or nutrient in a wetland system is affected by both its chemical and physical form T / F Agriculture on drained Histosols is a sustainable system. T / F After a wetland soils is saturated (waterlogged) the redox potential tends to increase as time passes. T / F All other factors held steady, phosphorous is generally most available at pH values around 6.5 T / F A drained wetlands tends to experience subsidence because oxygen becomes available as a favorable electron acceptor and decomposition rates increase T / F Mineralization is the release ammonium-nitrogen during the decomposition of organic matter T / F Decomposition of organic matter requires the presence of oxygen. T / F Oxygen (O2) is a very favorable electron donor in saturated environments Multiple choice questions are 1 point each. Preferential pathways for water through a wetland can lead to: (a) small actual residence times of water in a wetlands (b) incomplete mixing within the wetland system (c) large values of ∆∆V / t (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above A hydroperiod diagram includes (a) a time axis (b) an indication of water depth or storage with respect to time (c) rainfall amounts (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above 3 Water has a major effect on: (a) species composition of the biota in a wetland system (b) nutrient transport within and through the wetland environment (c) the nature of chemical reactions within the wetlands (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above The change in storage with respect to time ( ∆∆V / t ) in a wetland: (a) is close to zero for large ∆t in a stable wetland (b) equals the hydroperiod for the wetland when ∆t equals 1 year (c) is never less than zero (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above Major classes of reactions that are important in wetlands are (a) redox reactions (b) acid-base (pH related) reactions (c) nuclear (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above A saturated, anoxic soil develops a low redox potential. This can lead to: - (a) nitrate (NO3 ) being forced to be an electron acceptor and consequently being converted to N2 gas. (b) decomposition reactions becoming less efficient and biological activity slowing (c) increased availability of soluble inorganic phosphorous (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above 4 Values of each of the following questions are in parentheses. Consider the following water balance diagrams. - Give a common term to describe each wetland (4 pts) - Draw a hydroperiod graph that would apply to any two of the wetland system (4 pts) (5) List 5 physical processes that cause movement of chemicals into or out of a wetland system. For each: State whether it is an inflow or outflow Give a specific chemical that is transported Describe a form that the chemical might assume (3) List 6 elements that may serve as electron acceptors to support decomposition of organic matter. 5 ESC 425 - Wetlands Systems - Quiz 3 - (open book) (2 pages, 15 points) NAME ___________________________________ You have 20 minutes. Budget your time carefully. If appropriate, describe your methods, assumptions, etc. True / False questions are 1/2 point each. T / F Aerenchyma in wetlands-adapted plants often help create an oxygenated zone around the roots. T / F By most ecological measures, a wetlands is an immature system. T / F Most wetlands are in the process of changing from an open water environment to a land environment. T / F The ability of a plant to use water efficiently is often an advantage in a wetlands environment. T / F Many wetland-adapted plants cope with anoxia by accumulating acetaldehyde during respiration. T / F Asexual reproduction is common among wetlands plants because seed germination under saturated/anaerobic conditions is problematic. T / F A plant using a C3 photosynthetic pathway may be at a disadvantage in a wetland because the C3 pathway requires more phosphorous than the C4 pathway. T / F Wetlands systems are rarely stable, “climax” systems. T / F Classical ecological succession theory may be insufficient to explain the development of wetlands ecosystems. T / F Aerenchyma may be formed by cell wall destruction (lysis) as a response to flooding of the root environment. Multiple choice questions are 1 point each. Structures that enable transport of oxygen to plant roots are (a) Cypress knees (b) aerenchyma (c) C4 pathways (d) a and b (e) a and c (f) b and c (g) all of the above (h) none of the above Wetlands organisms often perform anaerobic respiration.