1.Describe what would happen to the biosphere if any one of the four components of biodiversity (genetic, species, ecological, functional, see Figure 3-1 in the Miller/Spoolman text) were somehow eliminated.
2.Read the following quotation by Edmund O. Wilson, featured in the "Individuals Matter" box (page 50, Miller/Spoolman text): "Until we get serious about exploring biological diversity...science and humanity at large will be flying blind inside the biosphere. How can we fully understand the ecology of a pond or forest patch without knowledge of the thousands of species...the principal channels of materials and energy flow?...how can we save Earth's life forms from extinction if we don't even know what most of them are?" How significant is this quotation in the present day? Use evidence to support your position.
3.What is the relationship between sustainable living and the first law of thermodynamics? Discuss the relationship between the law and specific sustainable (or unsustainable) activities that are part of modern life. (For example, you might discuss the connection with disposal of trash in landfills.)
4.Discuss, providing specific detail, how human activities such as agriculture, the burning of fossil fuels, and the clearing of forests affect each of the biogeochemical cycles: water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle.
5.Explain the role that each of the following processes play in facilitating the three scientific principles of sustainability (see Figure 1-1 on page 3 of Miller/Spoolman): natural selection, speciation, and extinction. Use examples to illustrate your response.