A few quick biology questions

[cliff]

I had a few quick questions for which I'm gathering information.
I'm hoping they may stimulate young people studying biology.
Thanks, Cliff

1.  Given a large ark containing 2 individuals of every animal species          
in the world, what would be the approximate total weight of all the             
organisms? (Is this more than the weight of the Empire State Building
in New York City?) How would your answer differ if you included every
plant, bacterial, and fungal organism? 
                                                
2.  Assume that all other organisms on earth were dead except for those         
on the ark in question 1, and that the animals were released 1000 years         
ago.  What would you expect to be surviving today?  (Assume that, where         
applicable, a male and female were used for each species.)                      
                                                                                
3.  Assume that the year is 1994 and that it rained for 40 days, and the        
rain covered all the land on the earth.  Further assume that the flood          
waters receded to pre-flood days within several months.                         
                                                                                
   What would be the geopolitical changes as a result of the                    
temporary flood?                                                                
                                                                                
   What would be the ecological changes as a result of the                      
temporary flood?