WISCONSIN PESTICIDE APPLICATOR 2026 EXAM STUDY
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Invasive Species - ✔✔Non-native plants that disrupt local ecosystems.
✔✔Aquatic Plant Management - ✔✔Strategies to control plant growth in water.
✔✔Emergent aquatic plants - ✔✔Rooted plants with growth above water line.
✔✔Submergent aquatic plants - ✔✔Rooted plants growing mostly underwater.
✔✔Floating-leaved aquatic plants - ✔✔Plants with leaves floating on water surface.
✔✔Algae - ✔✔Simple plants lacking stems and leaves.
✔✔Macrophytes - ✔✔Large aquatic plants visible to the naked eye.
✔✔Purple loosestrife - ✔✔Invasive species harming native vegetation.
✔✔Pondweeds - ✔✔Major subcategory of submergent aquatic plants.
✔✔Vegetative reproduction - ✔✔Growth sprouting from roots and runners.
✔✔Floating leaves - ✔✔Leaves that remain on water surface.
✔✔Waterfowl habitat - ✔✔Emergent plants provide shelter for birds.
✔✔Nuisance plants - ✔✔Aggressive plants that disrupt ecosystems.
✔✔Curlyleaf pondweed - ✔✔Exotic nuisance plant in aquatic environments.
✔✔Sago pondweed - ✔✔Less common nuisance submergent plant.
✔✔Recreational pursuits - ✔✔Activities like boating and swimming affected by plants.
✔✔Root system - ✔✔Underground structure supporting plant growth.
✔✔Water-saturated soils - ✔✔Soils consistently moist, supporting emergent plants.
✔✔Seed reproduction - ✔✔Plants producing new individuals from seeds.
✔✔Cattails - ✔✔Common emergent plants providing wildlife benefits.
,✔✔Bulrushes - ✔✔Another type of beneficial emergent aquatic plant.
✔✔Arrowhead - ✔✔Emergent plant with distinctive arrow-shaped leaves.
✔✔Wetlands - ✔✔Ecosystems where emergent plants thrive.
✔✔Depth of 15 feet - ✔✔Maximum growth depth for some pondweeds.
✔✔Invasive species control - ✔✔Management of harmful non-native plant populations.
✔✔Free-Floating Plants - ✔✔Plants that float on water surfaces, easily windblown.
✔✔Nuisance Conditions - ✔✔Negative impacts caused by excessive plant growth.
✔✔Whorled Leaves - ✔✔Three or more leaves attached at one stem point.
✔✔Coontail - ✔✔A common submergent plant with whorled leaves.
✔✔Watermilfoil - ✔✔Submergent plant, includes invasive Eurasian watermilfoil.
✔✔Elodea - ✔✔Submergent plant, often found in freshwater bodies.
✔✔Rooted Plants - ✔✔Plants anchored to the bottom with floating leaves.
✔✔Water Lilies - ✔✔Rooted plants providing cover, rarely nuisance issues.
✔✔Eurasian Watermilfoil - ✔✔Invasive species harming native plants and habitats.
✔✔Algae - ✔✔Simple, stemless plants found in aquatic environments.
✔✔Planktonic Algae - ✔✔Microscopic algae floating in water, causing blooms.
✔✔Algae Blooms - ✔✔Rapid growth of algae, often harmful to ecosystems.
✔✔Blue-Green Algae - ✔✔Common bloom organism, can produce toxins.
✔✔Nutrient Limitation - ✔✔Low inorganic nitrogen and phosphates restrict algae
growth.
✔✔Oxygen Depletion - ✔✔Occurs when decomposing algae consume water oxygen.
✔✔Fish Kills - ✔✔Deaths of fish due to low oxygen levels.
, ✔✔Water Celery - ✔✔Also known as tapegrass, grows in clear waters.
✔✔Filamentous Algae - ✔✔Algae forming long, thread-like structures in water.
✔✔Rooted Algae - ✔✔Algae attached to surfaces, not free-floating.
✔✔Spatterdock - ✔✔Rooted plant with large floating leaves.
✔✔American Lotus - ✔✔Rooted aquatic plant with large, showy flowers.
✔✔Watershield - ✔✔Rooted plant providing habitat, rarely a nuisance.
✔✔Filamentous Algae - ✔✔Algae that grow in long, stringy strands.
✔✔Attachment Sites - ✔✔Locations where filamentous algae anchor themselves.
✔✔Rooted Algae - ✔✔Algae resembling rooted plants, lacking true roots.
✔✔Chara - ✔✔A species of algae often mistaken for plants.
✔✔Nitella - ✔✔Another species of algae resembling rooted plants.
✔✔Chemical Control - ✔✔Use of chemicals to manage aquatic plant growth.
✔✔Herbicides - ✔✔Chemicals specifically targeting plant species.
✔✔Algicides - ✔✔Chemicals used to control algae growth.
✔✔Oxygen Depletion - ✔✔Reduction of oxygen levels due to plant die-off.
✔✔Nutrient Release - ✔✔Sudden influx of nutrients from decaying plants.
✔✔Eurasian Watermilfoil - ✔✔A nuisance aquatic plant targeted by chemical control.
✔✔Purple Loosestrife - ✔✔An invasive plant often controlled chemically.
✔✔Selective Treatment - ✔✔Targeting specific plants while leaving others unharmed.
✔✔Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation - ✔✔Resource for aquatic plant
identification and control.
✔✔North American Lake Management Society - ✔✔Organization providing information
on lake management.
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Invasive Species - ✔✔Non-native plants that disrupt local ecosystems.
✔✔Aquatic Plant Management - ✔✔Strategies to control plant growth in water.
✔✔Emergent aquatic plants - ✔✔Rooted plants with growth above water line.
✔✔Submergent aquatic plants - ✔✔Rooted plants growing mostly underwater.
✔✔Floating-leaved aquatic plants - ✔✔Plants with leaves floating on water surface.
✔✔Algae - ✔✔Simple plants lacking stems and leaves.
✔✔Macrophytes - ✔✔Large aquatic plants visible to the naked eye.
✔✔Purple loosestrife - ✔✔Invasive species harming native vegetation.
✔✔Pondweeds - ✔✔Major subcategory of submergent aquatic plants.
✔✔Vegetative reproduction - ✔✔Growth sprouting from roots and runners.
✔✔Floating leaves - ✔✔Leaves that remain on water surface.
✔✔Waterfowl habitat - ✔✔Emergent plants provide shelter for birds.
✔✔Nuisance plants - ✔✔Aggressive plants that disrupt ecosystems.
✔✔Curlyleaf pondweed - ✔✔Exotic nuisance plant in aquatic environments.
✔✔Sago pondweed - ✔✔Less common nuisance submergent plant.
✔✔Recreational pursuits - ✔✔Activities like boating and swimming affected by plants.
✔✔Root system - ✔✔Underground structure supporting plant growth.
✔✔Water-saturated soils - ✔✔Soils consistently moist, supporting emergent plants.
✔✔Seed reproduction - ✔✔Plants producing new individuals from seeds.
✔✔Cattails - ✔✔Common emergent plants providing wildlife benefits.
,✔✔Bulrushes - ✔✔Another type of beneficial emergent aquatic plant.
✔✔Arrowhead - ✔✔Emergent plant with distinctive arrow-shaped leaves.
✔✔Wetlands - ✔✔Ecosystems where emergent plants thrive.
✔✔Depth of 15 feet - ✔✔Maximum growth depth for some pondweeds.
✔✔Invasive species control - ✔✔Management of harmful non-native plant populations.
✔✔Free-Floating Plants - ✔✔Plants that float on water surfaces, easily windblown.
✔✔Nuisance Conditions - ✔✔Negative impacts caused by excessive plant growth.
✔✔Whorled Leaves - ✔✔Three or more leaves attached at one stem point.
✔✔Coontail - ✔✔A common submergent plant with whorled leaves.
✔✔Watermilfoil - ✔✔Submergent plant, includes invasive Eurasian watermilfoil.
✔✔Elodea - ✔✔Submergent plant, often found in freshwater bodies.
✔✔Rooted Plants - ✔✔Plants anchored to the bottom with floating leaves.
✔✔Water Lilies - ✔✔Rooted plants providing cover, rarely nuisance issues.
✔✔Eurasian Watermilfoil - ✔✔Invasive species harming native plants and habitats.
✔✔Algae - ✔✔Simple, stemless plants found in aquatic environments.
✔✔Planktonic Algae - ✔✔Microscopic algae floating in water, causing blooms.
✔✔Algae Blooms - ✔✔Rapid growth of algae, often harmful to ecosystems.
✔✔Blue-Green Algae - ✔✔Common bloom organism, can produce toxins.
✔✔Nutrient Limitation - ✔✔Low inorganic nitrogen and phosphates restrict algae
growth.
✔✔Oxygen Depletion - ✔✔Occurs when decomposing algae consume water oxygen.
✔✔Fish Kills - ✔✔Deaths of fish due to low oxygen levels.
, ✔✔Water Celery - ✔✔Also known as tapegrass, grows in clear waters.
✔✔Filamentous Algae - ✔✔Algae forming long, thread-like structures in water.
✔✔Rooted Algae - ✔✔Algae attached to surfaces, not free-floating.
✔✔Spatterdock - ✔✔Rooted plant with large floating leaves.
✔✔American Lotus - ✔✔Rooted aquatic plant with large, showy flowers.
✔✔Watershield - ✔✔Rooted plant providing habitat, rarely a nuisance.
✔✔Filamentous Algae - ✔✔Algae that grow in long, stringy strands.
✔✔Attachment Sites - ✔✔Locations where filamentous algae anchor themselves.
✔✔Rooted Algae - ✔✔Algae resembling rooted plants, lacking true roots.
✔✔Chara - ✔✔A species of algae often mistaken for plants.
✔✔Nitella - ✔✔Another species of algae resembling rooted plants.
✔✔Chemical Control - ✔✔Use of chemicals to manage aquatic plant growth.
✔✔Herbicides - ✔✔Chemicals specifically targeting plant species.
✔✔Algicides - ✔✔Chemicals used to control algae growth.
✔✔Oxygen Depletion - ✔✔Reduction of oxygen levels due to plant die-off.
✔✔Nutrient Release - ✔✔Sudden influx of nutrients from decaying plants.
✔✔Eurasian Watermilfoil - ✔✔A nuisance aquatic plant targeted by chemical control.
✔✔Purple Loosestrife - ✔✔An invasive plant often controlled chemically.
✔✔Selective Treatment - ✔✔Targeting specific plants while leaving others unharmed.
✔✔Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation - ✔✔Resource for aquatic plant
identification and control.
✔✔North American Lake Management Society - ✔✔Organization providing information
on lake management.
