Short and Long Term Changes

Environmental Changes

The Important details you need to know.

Any environmental change that occurs in minutes to hundreds of years is considered a short-term change

Minutes to 100's of years (not 1000's of years)

Multiple Choice

Which represents the greatest time frame in which a short-term environmental change can occur?

• days

• minutes

• over hundreds of years

• over thousands of years

Tectonic plate movement:

• causes continents to move to different parts of Earth.

• causes some organisms to die.

• may lead to new species 

Tectonic plate movement is a long-term environmental change.

Multiple Choice

Which statement accurately describes tectonic plate movement?

• Tectonic plate movement can be prevented with planning.

• Tectonic plate movement does not cause environmental change.

• Tectonic plate movement does not affect organisms.

• Tectonic plate movement is a long-term environmental change.

Multiple Choice

Which represents the greatest time frame in which a short-term environmental change can occur?

• days

• minutes

• over hundreds of years

• over thousands of years

Effects of Long-Term Environmental Change Long-term environmental changes can also have lasting effects.

• • Adaptation —a species attempts to adjust to a new environment.

• • Some individuals may be better suited to the new environment than others.

• • Speciation —a new species forms through evolution.

• • Extinction —a species that cannot adapt will die out.

Multiple Choice

Which natural occurrence is an example of a long-term environmental change?

• Lightning sparks a forest fire.

• An earthquake results in a tsunami.

• A river floods due to a strong thunderstorm.

• The peppered moth evolves from a light to a dark color.

Multiple Choice

Which represents the greatest time frame in which a short-term environmental change can occur?

• days

• minutes

• over hundreds of years

• over thousands of years

Most of the questions that we deal with in this section are based on cuase and effect.

Be able to give a reason for the questions asked of you.

Multiple Choice

Which statement accurately describes tectonic plate movement?

• Tectonic plate movement can be prevented with planning.

• Tectonic plate movement does not cause environmental change.

• Tectonic plate movement does not affect organisms.

• Tectonic plate movement is a long-term environmental change.

Multiple Choice

Which statement accurately describes long-term environmental changes?

• Long-term environmental changes cause changes in genetic makeup.

• Long-term environmental changes happen suddenly with little warning.

• Long-term environmental changes occur in hundreds of years.

• Long-term environmental changes immediately affect organisms in the environment.

Multiple Choice

Which is one way that a short-term environmental change will most likely affect organisms within an ecosystem?

• It will lead to larger populations.

• It will lead to speciation.

• It will lead to adaptation.

• It will lead to forced migration.

Multiple Choice

What event might occur when favorable adaptations build up in a population over many generations?

• starvation

• extinction

• migration

• speciation

Multiple Choice

What is a possible effect of long-term environmental changes?

• adaptation

• migration

• habitat loss

• starvation

Multiple Choice

What event might occur when favorable adaptations build up in a population over many generations?

• starvation

• extinction

• migration

• speciation