Problem 1
Why is biodiversity important? Outline several reasons.
Problem 2
Discuss the notion that all species are similarly "advanced" in the evolutionary sense but may vary greatly in their complexity.
Problem 3
All elements of biodiversity are considered to have intrinsic value. What does this mean? Can it be fully justified in a strictly scientific context?
Problem 4
Choose an economically important "pest," such as the house mouse (Mus musculus), a disease-carrying mosquito (such as an Anopheles species), or the groups A and B Streptococcus bacteria that cause deadly infections. Now suppose that a new method has been discovered to eradicate that pest, which would cause its global extinction. Based on ideas about intrinsic value and other considerations, could you mount a logical defence of the pest to argue against its extinction?
