NR 220 Wildlife Study Guide OA Final
Exam Questions with Correct Solutions||
Updated 2025/2026 A+ Graded||100%
Guaranteed Pass!!!
Section 1: Core Ecological Principles & Terminology
1. What is wildlife management?
ANSWER ✓ Wildlife management is the application of scientific knowledge and technical
skills to protect, preserve, conserve, limit, or enhance wild animal populations and their
habitats.
2. Define a population in ecological terms.
ANSWER ✓ A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in a
particular geographic area and are capable of interbreeding.
3. What is a community?
ANSWER ✓ A community is an assemblage of different populations of various species
that live together in a defined area.
4. What is an ecosystem?
ANSWER ✓ An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms (biotic)
and their physical environment (abiotic components).
5. What is carrying capacity (K)?
ANSWER ✓ Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that an
environment can support sustainably without degradation of the habitat.
,6. What is a limiting factor?
ANSWER ✓ A limiting factor is any resource (e.g., food, water, shelter) or condition (e.g.,
disease, predation) that restricts the size, growth, or distribution of a population.
7. Differentiate between density-dependent and density-independent factors.
ANSWER ✓ Density-dependent factors (e.g., disease, competition, predation) increase in
effect as the population density increases. Density-independent factors (e.g., weather,
fire, drought) affect populations regardless of their size or density.
8. What is habitat?
ANSWER ✓ Habitat is the specific environment where an organism lives, comprising
both biotic and abiotic factors that provide its needs for survival and reproduction.
9. What is a niche?
ANSWER ✓ A niche is the role and position a species has in its environment; how it
meets its needs for food, shelter, and reproduction. It includes all its interactions with
the biotic and abiotic factors of its environment.
10. Define biodiversity.
ANSWER ✓ Biodiversity is the variety of life at all levels of biological organization,
including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
11. What is the edge effect?
ANSWER ✓ The edge effect describes the changes in population or community
structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats (an ecotone). Edges often have
higher species diversity.
12. What is succession?
ANSWER ✓ Succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological
community over time, following a disturbance.
13. Differentiate between primary and secondary succession.
ANSWER ✓ Primary succession begins on a site devoid of soil (e.g., bare rock from a
, retreating glacier). Secondary succession begins in an area where an existing community
has been disturbed but soil remains (e.g., after a fire).
14. What is a keystone species?
ANSWER ✓ A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on
its environment relative to its abundance. Its removal leads to significant changes in the
ecosystem (e.g., beavers, sea otters, wolves).
15. What is an indicator species?
ANSWER ✓ An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence, or abundance
reflects a specific environmental condition, such as pollution or habitat quality (e.g.,
lichens for air quality, amphibians for wetland health).
16. What is the difference between an ectotherm and an endotherm?
ANSWER ✓ Ectotherms (e.g., reptiles, amphibians) rely on external sources to regulate
their body temperature. Endotherms (e.g., birds, mammals) generate internal heat to
maintain a constant body temperature.
17. Define torpor, hibernation, and estivation.
ANSWER ✓ Torpor is a short-term state of reduced metabolic rate and lowered body
temperature. Hibernation is a long-term state of torpor during winter. Estivation is a
state of torpor during hot or dry summer periods.
18. What is philopatry?
ANSWER ✓ Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in or return to its natal
area or home range.
19. What is dispersal?
ANSWER ✓ Dispersal is the movement of an organism away from its birthplace to
another location where it will settle and reproduce.
Exam Questions with Correct Solutions||
Updated 2025/2026 A+ Graded||100%
Guaranteed Pass!!!
Section 1: Core Ecological Principles & Terminology
1. What is wildlife management?
ANSWER ✓ Wildlife management is the application of scientific knowledge and technical
skills to protect, preserve, conserve, limit, or enhance wild animal populations and their
habitats.
2. Define a population in ecological terms.
ANSWER ✓ A population is a group of individuals of the same species that live in a
particular geographic area and are capable of interbreeding.
3. What is a community?
ANSWER ✓ A community is an assemblage of different populations of various species
that live together in a defined area.
4. What is an ecosystem?
ANSWER ✓ An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms (biotic)
and their physical environment (abiotic components).
5. What is carrying capacity (K)?
ANSWER ✓ Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that an
environment can support sustainably without degradation of the habitat.
,6. What is a limiting factor?
ANSWER ✓ A limiting factor is any resource (e.g., food, water, shelter) or condition (e.g.,
disease, predation) that restricts the size, growth, or distribution of a population.
7. Differentiate between density-dependent and density-independent factors.
ANSWER ✓ Density-dependent factors (e.g., disease, competition, predation) increase in
effect as the population density increases. Density-independent factors (e.g., weather,
fire, drought) affect populations regardless of their size or density.
8. What is habitat?
ANSWER ✓ Habitat is the specific environment where an organism lives, comprising
both biotic and abiotic factors that provide its needs for survival and reproduction.
9. What is a niche?
ANSWER ✓ A niche is the role and position a species has in its environment; how it
meets its needs for food, shelter, and reproduction. It includes all its interactions with
the biotic and abiotic factors of its environment.
10. Define biodiversity.
ANSWER ✓ Biodiversity is the variety of life at all levels of biological organization,
including genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
11. What is the edge effect?
ANSWER ✓ The edge effect describes the changes in population or community
structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats (an ecotone). Edges often have
higher species diversity.
12. What is succession?
ANSWER ✓ Succession is the process of change in the species structure of an ecological
community over time, following a disturbance.
13. Differentiate between primary and secondary succession.
ANSWER ✓ Primary succession begins on a site devoid of soil (e.g., bare rock from a
, retreating glacier). Secondary succession begins in an area where an existing community
has been disturbed but soil remains (e.g., after a fire).
14. What is a keystone species?
ANSWER ✓ A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on
its environment relative to its abundance. Its removal leads to significant changes in the
ecosystem (e.g., beavers, sea otters, wolves).
15. What is an indicator species?
ANSWER ✓ An indicator species is an organism whose presence, absence, or abundance
reflects a specific environmental condition, such as pollution or habitat quality (e.g.,
lichens for air quality, amphibians for wetland health).
16. What is the difference between an ectotherm and an endotherm?
ANSWER ✓ Ectotherms (e.g., reptiles, amphibians) rely on external sources to regulate
their body temperature. Endotherms (e.g., birds, mammals) generate internal heat to
maintain a constant body temperature.
17. Define torpor, hibernation, and estivation.
ANSWER ✓ Torpor is a short-term state of reduced metabolic rate and lowered body
temperature. Hibernation is a long-term state of torpor during winter. Estivation is a
state of torpor during hot or dry summer periods.
18. What is philopatry?
ANSWER ✓ Philopatry is the tendency of an organism to stay in or return to its natal
area or home range.
19. What is dispersal?
ANSWER ✓ Dispersal is the movement of an organism away from its birthplace to
another location where it will settle and reproduce.
