You are expected to complete this exam entirely on your own. You may not communicate with anyone except Paul Weihe about the exam or its contents. You must sign the statement below when submitting this exam for grading:

DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions, or complete the following tasks. Write or type your answers on other paper (not this question sheet). Remember to put your name at the top of each page. The answers should be well-reasoned and of sufficient length to completely answer the question. This sheet and the answers must be submitted by 10 AM on Wednesday, December 17, 1997.

1. Two recent issues of the journal Wetlands are on reserve in the library. Choose ONE of the following papers, and write a review. Describe the nature of the study, how it was done, its goals/hypothesis, findings, implications. Also critique the strengths/weaknesses of the study.

a. Wilson, R.F. and W.J. Mitsch. 1996. Functional assessment of five wetlands constructed to mitigate wetland loss in Ohio, USA. Wetlands 16:436-451.

b. Havens, K.J. 1997. The effect of vegetation on soil redox within a seasonally-flooded forested system. Wetlands 17: 237-242.

2. Consider the principles of site selection for created/restored wetlands (p. 590-591 in text). Pick either the Triangle wetland in Buckhannon, or the Leading Creek site near Kerens, and describe specifically how the site does or does not meet each of the 13 site selection recommendations.

3. Briefly describe eutrophication as it applies to wetlands. Define it, detail what causes it (and the mechanisms involved), what the environmental effects are, and how human activities affect it.

4. Why should the preservation or construction of wetlands be promoted, other than for providing wildlife habitat? Give specific examples from several categories of reasons.

5. What are the characteristics of organic soil? Compare and contrast "hydric" and "organic" soil.

6. Listed below are five pairs of wetland types. For each pair, describe how the ecosystems may be very different, even though they have the same hydroperiod. All the terms are U.S. definition.

a. Lacustrine marsh vs. prairie pothole

b. Bog vs. fen

c. Cypress dome vs. bottomland hardwood forest

d. Mangrove wetland vs. tidal salt marsh

e. Scrub-shrub wetland vs. brackish marsh

7. What are the procedures to get a 404 permit? When can/can’t it be done? When can the formal process be avoided? Does the Federal government itself (e.g., Air Force) have to get permits?

8. According to many scientists, human activities will double the concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere in a very short time period. This raises concerns about global warming, changes in vegetation patterns, changing precipitation/hydrology, and changing biogeochemistry.

A major issue is how these changes may affect the vast areas of peatlands in the high latitudes. Will they (1) warm, dry, and oxidize/decompose stored peat, or (2) become more productive, with mosses growing and accumulating peat more quickly and removing CO₂ from the atmosphere?

Choose one of those two scenarios, and create a model of what might happen. Make some assumptions, use data from the text (e.g., Ch. 1 and 12), and develop specific estimates of what will change, and by how much. Be sure to specify all the relevant assumptions, the numbers you use, and show your work/calculations.

9. Describe how you would go about performing a wetland delineation. What references should you consult? What are the criteria and how each appears in a wetland? What information are you likely to not have directly, thereby forcing you to indirectly observe...and how would you do that? What is the outcome/product of a delineation?

10. Describe wetland resources and wetland science/business in our (mid-Appalachian/WV) region. How do our wetland resources (amount and type) compare to the rest of the U.S.? What are some of the characteristics and issues of wetlands here? What is the history and possible future for our wetlands?