BIOL 350 Final Exam| Ques ons and answers | Updated
RATED A+ 2026
1) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'forests' as a problem of 'input',
and describe the main reasons why forests have important value in terms of providing
ecosystem services for humans.
Problems of input:
-Deforesta on; clearing forests for agriculture, urban expansion, mining, over-harves ng for
mber and paper produc on
-increased frequency of fire, drought, insect outbreaks
-clearing forests out faster than we can replace them
-world forest area shrunk by 80% per capita in past century
Value:
-"earth's lungs"; source of oxygen
-Earth's major source of water circula on; about 50% of the water that ends up in the clouds for
rain has been transpired by forests
-forests build and protect top soil; without forests we lose soil and minerals through erosion
-major carbon sinks; capture, store, and decrease greenhouse carbon dioxide levels (about 25%
of carbon emi2ed by burning fossil fuels each year are absorbed by forests)
-home to Earth's treasury of biodiversity
(2) World food produc on now appears to have peaked and prices are rising. Describe the main
reasons for this crisis that we discussed in BIOL350.
Today's food shortages result from 4 cri cal long-term trends:
1) Rapid pop'n growth
-leads to over-plowing and over-grazing resul ng in a loss of top soil
-increased demand for energy therefore increasing energy from fossil fuels which contributes to
global warming
-higher demand for food...causing food shortages
2)Loss of top soil
-because of deforesta on, global warming, over-plowing...etc
3)Spreading water shortages
4)Rising temperatures and Global warming
-leads to rising sea level causing coastal flooding, which leads to loss of top soil
,-higher temps also reduce crop yield
OTHER REASONS:
-arable land has peaked
-lost irriga on water from mel ng/dried up glaciers resul ng from global warming
-rising energy prices
-more land being used to grow bio-fuels instead of crops
-falling pollinator (bee) pop'ns from pes cide use and pollu on
-over exploita on of fish
(3) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'fossil fuels' as a problem of
'input'.
problems of input:
-problem of supply and demand
-oil discoveries peaked in the 60s and since the 80s we have used more oil yearly than we are
discovering
-most things that we use require oil/natural gas to make (includes everything plas c)
-rely on fossil fuels for transporta on
-since the Great accelera on 5x more energy use (especially fossil fuels)
-turn to renewable resources like solar and wind energy but forget that a lot of these alternate
solu ons depend on petro chemicals/fossil fuels to keep them running; not durable, reliable, or
completely safe
-2x more oil consump on in last 4 decades
-fossil fuels=non-renewable=definite supply
-contributes to global warming/climate change
4) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'soil loss' as a problem of 'input'
soil is one of the most precious and threatened resources:
-arable land is disappearing...top soil is vital for maintaining the world's food supply
-it takes centuries to generate an inch of top soil even in a healthy ecosystem so essen ally it is
a non-renewable resource
-soil degrada on is especially high in dry lands due to salina on from irriga on
-losing it from water erosion, wind, glacier mel ng (flooding) , deforesta on
-loss of biodiversity from pes cide use; less biodiversity= more suscep ble to disease
MAIN PROBLEM OF OUTPUT= decreased capacity for food produc on
,(5) Forecasters worry that climate change may disrupt the so-called 'global ocean conveyer'.
Describe what this is, how it might be disrupted, and what the main consequences would be.
Global conveyer belt= a constantly moving system of deep ocean circula on driven by
temp/salinity; warm less salinated water from gulf stream travels upward towards Europe in
Atlan c and the wind over this current picks up heat to warm Europe...this causes evapora on
making the water more salty which makes the water colder b/c it's more dense and
sinks...downdraG of heavy cold water generates south going stream
How is it disrupted?
-warming of arc c ice/Greenland ice sheet making the North Atlan c less salty therefore surface
currents aren't as warm, making Europe colder
Consequences:
-colder Europe= shorter growing season
-crop loss/less food produc on
(6) Several forecasters have predicted that even if we completely stop all fossil fuel burning
tomorrow, it is too late to stop climate change. Describe the main reasons why this may be so.
-it will take an 80% decrease in carbon dioxide emission by 2050 to stabilize atmospheric gas
concentra on
-feedback loops not in our favor; 1) increased levels of water vapour in the atmosphere traps
heat, leads to more evapora on of water vapour increasing the amount of trapped heat, 2) loss
of snow from global warming exposes more land area which is less reflec ve then snow that the
sun rays hit therefore absorbing more heat because not as much snow covered surface to
reflect,3) mel ng of permafrost boreal regions released greenhouse gas methane into the
atmosphere
-rising CO2 levels lead to ocean acidity which worsens global warming
-likely not possible to come up with an oil/gas alterna ve in me to; con nue providing the
energy need to keep civiliza on running as we know it, further stop climate change
-climate change due to increases in carbon dioxide concentra on is largely irreversible for 1000
years aGer emissions stop
-we have already "kick-started" an irreversible self-escala ng series of natural causes effec ng
global warming
(7) Many experts today believe that bio-fuel produc on causes more problems than it solves.
Describe the main reasoning behind this view.
bio-fuel produc on causes loss of tropical forests and other natural habitats, depletes oil,
accelerates climate changes, exacerbates world hunger
, -releases nitrous oxide
-countries fail to plan for cleaner energy
-these approaches do not help rising sea levels
-to grow biofuel crops, large scale forest burnings are needed to clear area
-farming biofuels releases nitrous oxide (climate change)
-biofuel from algae could create 4x the greenhouse gas
(8) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'popula on' as a problem of
'output'.
-popula on is es mated to reach 9 billion by 2050
-there are at least 1 billion people today that are severely malnourished/starving
-world popula on growth rate peaked in 1970; now it's slightly decreasing in developed but
increasing in underdeveloped countries
-high growth rates in developing countries and higher fer lity rates in poorer countries
-urban growth to mega-ci es (ci es of 10 million or more) ; how will they survive the effects of
climate change? increasing resource compe on? decreasing supplies/oil?
-there are now fewer farmers to feed the growing pop'n
-MALTHUSIAN DILEMMA; pop'n growth will outpace agricultural produc on ... too many
people, not enough food
-increased risk for disease outbreaks with larger pop'n
-unsustainable/ cannot provide adequate resources
(9) Describe the main trends and issues that we considered in BIOL350 associated with the
problem of species ex nc ons.
-The con nuing destruc on of the natural habitat for wildlife has now set in mo on the earth's
6th mass ex nc on event, affec ng everything from the smallest invertebrates to the largest
mammals
MAIN THREATS:
1)habitat loss/degrada on
- urbaniza on, unsustainable agriculture, extrac on of water/deforesta on, energy
produc on/mining
-leaves many animals homeless and destroys the habitat in which they live
2)invasive species and disease
-compete with na ve species for food, water ,shelter
-they also may be predators or spread new diseases that na ve species are suscep ble to
3)pollu on
-can make habitats unsuitable for a species survival (ex. oil spill)
RATED A+ 2026
1) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'forests' as a problem of 'input',
and describe the main reasons why forests have important value in terms of providing
ecosystem services for humans.
Problems of input:
-Deforesta on; clearing forests for agriculture, urban expansion, mining, over-harves ng for
mber and paper produc on
-increased frequency of fire, drought, insect outbreaks
-clearing forests out faster than we can replace them
-world forest area shrunk by 80% per capita in past century
Value:
-"earth's lungs"; source of oxygen
-Earth's major source of water circula on; about 50% of the water that ends up in the clouds for
rain has been transpired by forests
-forests build and protect top soil; without forests we lose soil and minerals through erosion
-major carbon sinks; capture, store, and decrease greenhouse carbon dioxide levels (about 25%
of carbon emi2ed by burning fossil fuels each year are absorbed by forests)
-home to Earth's treasury of biodiversity
(2) World food produc on now appears to have peaked and prices are rising. Describe the main
reasons for this crisis that we discussed in BIOL350.
Today's food shortages result from 4 cri cal long-term trends:
1) Rapid pop'n growth
-leads to over-plowing and over-grazing resul ng in a loss of top soil
-increased demand for energy therefore increasing energy from fossil fuels which contributes to
global warming
-higher demand for food...causing food shortages
2)Loss of top soil
-because of deforesta on, global warming, over-plowing...etc
3)Spreading water shortages
4)Rising temperatures and Global warming
-leads to rising sea level causing coastal flooding, which leads to loss of top soil
,-higher temps also reduce crop yield
OTHER REASONS:
-arable land has peaked
-lost irriga on water from mel ng/dried up glaciers resul ng from global warming
-rising energy prices
-more land being used to grow bio-fuels instead of crops
-falling pollinator (bee) pop'ns from pes cide use and pollu on
-over exploita on of fish
(3) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'fossil fuels' as a problem of
'input'.
problems of input:
-problem of supply and demand
-oil discoveries peaked in the 60s and since the 80s we have used more oil yearly than we are
discovering
-most things that we use require oil/natural gas to make (includes everything plas c)
-rely on fossil fuels for transporta on
-since the Great accelera on 5x more energy use (especially fossil fuels)
-turn to renewable resources like solar and wind energy but forget that a lot of these alternate
solu ons depend on petro chemicals/fossil fuels to keep them running; not durable, reliable, or
completely safe
-2x more oil consump on in last 4 decades
-fossil fuels=non-renewable=definite supply
-contributes to global warming/climate change
4) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'soil loss' as a problem of 'input'
soil is one of the most precious and threatened resources:
-arable land is disappearing...top soil is vital for maintaining the world's food supply
-it takes centuries to generate an inch of top soil even in a healthy ecosystem so essen ally it is
a non-renewable resource
-soil degrada on is especially high in dry lands due to salina on from irriga on
-losing it from water erosion, wind, glacier mel ng (flooding) , deforesta on
-loss of biodiversity from pes cide use; less biodiversity= more suscep ble to disease
MAIN PROBLEM OF OUTPUT= decreased capacity for food produc on
,(5) Forecasters worry that climate change may disrupt the so-called 'global ocean conveyer'.
Describe what this is, how it might be disrupted, and what the main consequences would be.
Global conveyer belt= a constantly moving system of deep ocean circula on driven by
temp/salinity; warm less salinated water from gulf stream travels upward towards Europe in
Atlan c and the wind over this current picks up heat to warm Europe...this causes evapora on
making the water more salty which makes the water colder b/c it's more dense and
sinks...downdraG of heavy cold water generates south going stream
How is it disrupted?
-warming of arc c ice/Greenland ice sheet making the North Atlan c less salty therefore surface
currents aren't as warm, making Europe colder
Consequences:
-colder Europe= shorter growing season
-crop loss/less food produc on
(6) Several forecasters have predicted that even if we completely stop all fossil fuel burning
tomorrow, it is too late to stop climate change. Describe the main reasons why this may be so.
-it will take an 80% decrease in carbon dioxide emission by 2050 to stabilize atmospheric gas
concentra on
-feedback loops not in our favor; 1) increased levels of water vapour in the atmosphere traps
heat, leads to more evapora on of water vapour increasing the amount of trapped heat, 2) loss
of snow from global warming exposes more land area which is less reflec ve then snow that the
sun rays hit therefore absorbing more heat because not as much snow covered surface to
reflect,3) mel ng of permafrost boreal regions released greenhouse gas methane into the
atmosphere
-rising CO2 levels lead to ocean acidity which worsens global warming
-likely not possible to come up with an oil/gas alterna ve in me to; con nue providing the
energy need to keep civiliza on running as we know it, further stop climate change
-climate change due to increases in carbon dioxide concentra on is largely irreversible for 1000
years aGer emissions stop
-we have already "kick-started" an irreversible self-escala ng series of natural causes effec ng
global warming
(7) Many experts today believe that bio-fuel produc on causes more problems than it solves.
Describe the main reasoning behind this view.
bio-fuel produc on causes loss of tropical forests and other natural habitats, depletes oil,
accelerates climate changes, exacerbates world hunger
, -releases nitrous oxide
-countries fail to plan for cleaner energy
-these approaches do not help rising sea levels
-to grow biofuel crops, large scale forest burnings are needed to clear area
-farming biofuels releases nitrous oxide (climate change)
-biofuel from algae could create 4x the greenhouse gas
(8) The current state of civiliza on can be described in terms of problems of 'input' or problems
of 'output'. Describe the main current concerns associated with 'popula on' as a problem of
'output'.
-popula on is es mated to reach 9 billion by 2050
-there are at least 1 billion people today that are severely malnourished/starving
-world popula on growth rate peaked in 1970; now it's slightly decreasing in developed but
increasing in underdeveloped countries
-high growth rates in developing countries and higher fer lity rates in poorer countries
-urban growth to mega-ci es (ci es of 10 million or more) ; how will they survive the effects of
climate change? increasing resource compe on? decreasing supplies/oil?
-there are now fewer farmers to feed the growing pop'n
-MALTHUSIAN DILEMMA; pop'n growth will outpace agricultural produc on ... too many
people, not enough food
-increased risk for disease outbreaks with larger pop'n
-unsustainable/ cannot provide adequate resources
(9) Describe the main trends and issues that we considered in BIOL350 associated with the
problem of species ex nc ons.
-The con nuing destruc on of the natural habitat for wildlife has now set in mo on the earth's
6th mass ex nc on event, affec ng everything from the smallest invertebrates to the largest
mammals
MAIN THREATS:
1)habitat loss/degrada on
- urbaniza on, unsustainable agriculture, extrac on of water/deforesta on, energy
produc on/mining
-leaves many animals homeless and destroys the habitat in which they live
2)invasive species and disease
-compete with na ve species for food, water ,shelter
-they also may be predators or spread new diseases that na ve species are suscep ble to
3)pollu on
-can make habitats unsuitable for a species survival (ex. oil spill)
