ENVS 112 Exam Prep

You will answer 4 essay questions.
You will have some choice as to which questions you will answer (i.e., you will be given 2-3 alternatives from which you choose one)
We will supply the paper on which you can answer the questions

A farmer uses a pesticide to kill a certain beetle that tends to damage his crops. He uses the pesticide for a number of years and notices that, although the beetle problem gets better right after he sprays the crops, by the next year, there seem to be more beetles than ever. Using what you know about natural selection, explain what is happening. In your answer, be sure to explain the conditions necessary for natural selection.

What is the systems approach to the environment and why is such an approach an especially important tool for understanding ecosystems? Construct a simple system diagram of a forest ecosystem that explains the flow of energy through the forest. Include a brief explanation (you don't need full sentences for this part) for each part of your diagram.

The Skeptical Environmentalist, Bjorn Lomborg, claims that we will not run out of fossil fuels nearly as fast as environmentalists predict. Therefore, according to Lomborg, it is not a problem. What is wrong with using isolated facts to make this argument? Explain the general perspective of systems thinking and why it is an apropriate way to approach environmental issues. Then, use systems thinking to evaluate the idea that because our fossil fuels won't soon run out, we shouldn't worry about using as many fossile fuels as we do.