ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Landscape Ecology & Forest Ecosystem Modelling: practice questions

1 · Landscape metrics and their interpretation · medium

For three classes with H′ = 1.03, Shannon evenness H′ ÷ ln m is:

1. 1.03
2. 0.34
3. 0.94
4. 1.10

2 · Landscape metrics and their interpretation · medium

A 100 km² landscape has forest patches of 40, 30 and 10 km². The effective mesh size is:

1. 80 km²
2. 27 km²
3. 26 km²
4. 8 km²

3 · Landscape metrics and their interpretation · hard

A study compares the edge density of a landscape mapped from 1 m imagery in 2020 with the same landscape mapped from 30 m imagery in 2000, and reports a large increase. The main problem is:

1. Edge density depends on grain, so the maps are not comparable
2. Edge density cannot be computed for forest landscapes
3. Shannon diversity should have been used instead
4. The landscape must have been fragmented by roads

4 · Connectivity and corridor design · hard

Landscape genetics can test whether genetic distance among tree populations is better explained by:

1. The number of seeds produced by each population in a good year
2. The age of the oldest tree in each population
3. The diameter of trees in each population
4. Landscape resistance than by straight-line distance alone

5 · Disturbance and succession modelling at landscape scale · hard

Why is the historical range of variability used cautiously as a management target under climate change?

1. Historical conditions are always perfectly known
2. Disturbance regimes never varied in the past
3. Future climate need not support past conditions
4. It applies only to forests without fire

6 · Forest landscape models and scenario analysis · easy

In a scenario analysis of forest management, a scenario is best described as:

1. A forecast of the single most probable future outcome
2. A random set of parameter values
3. The calibration dataset of the model
4. A plausible, consistent account of a possible future

7 · Forest landscape models and scenario analysis · hard

Pattern-oriented modelling strengthens a forest landscape model by:

1. Fitting it to one output while adjusting many parameters
2. Testing it against multiple observed patterns at once
3. Removing all stochastic processes from it
4. Using only one spatial scale for every process

8 · Forest landscape models and scenario analysis · hard

Why is validation of century-long forest landscape projections difficult?

1. Landscape models have no parameters to test
2. Historical data are never available for any forest
3. Validation is not needed for landscape models
4. The future cannot be observed independently

9 · Ecosystem process models: carbon, water, nutrient fluxes · medium

With PAR of 2,500 MJ m⁻² yr⁻¹, fAPAR of 0.8 and light-use efficiency of 1.0 g C MJ⁻¹, GPP is:

1. 2 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹
2. 200 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹
3. 25 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹
4. 20 t C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹

10 · Landscape planning and stakeholder decision support · medium

In the land sharing versus land sparing debate, land sparing means:

1. Wildlife-friendly farming practised on all land in the landscape
2. Leaving all land unused for production
3. Sharing land titles among communities
4. High-yield production on part of the land to protect the rest