Homework 3, due wed oct 14, 2009 ENVR 30: Fall 2009 1. Pick one topic you find interesting in environmental science (you can look at the syllabus for some ideas). Write a one page report on this topic. You can combine facts you get from the book, internet, articles, etc. with opinions and conclusions. The purpose of this exercise is to get you to organize some information and thoughts on a topic. Please make sure your grammar and spelling are correct (i.e. carefully proofread what you write; best way is to read it out loud slowly to yourself). 2. From ecology's point of view what is a "weed" and why do they grow in vacant lots? 3. Since energy is conserved why is it not possible to recycle energy and use it over and over again? 4. What distinguishes the two fundamental aquatic biomes? 5. Roughly how many species have taxonomists described? Roughly how many total species are expected on Earth? Roughly how many species of birds have been spotted in san diego county? (San diego is famous for bird watching because of its large bird biodiversity) 6. Rank the following in order of most scary to you to least scary. (Feel free to say why on any or all) Earthquake, flood, tornado, hurricane, fire, mudslide, nuclear bomb, car accident, plane accident, meteorite strike. For most scary, please say why.