272 Environmental Change (8.11B)

Write the definition for short term environmental change.

Write the definition for long term environmental change.

Snowshoe hares are related to rabbits and live in cold regions. In warm weather, they have a brown coat and spend many hours feeding on vegetation. To avoid predators they either remain still and try to blend into their habitat, or use their powerful hind legs to flee. What change brought about by the winter season would help these animals avoid predators in the snowy climate?

• Their bodies slow down and require less food.

• They spend more of the day sleeping.

• Their brown fur changes to white.

• They must search longer to find vegetation.

The Venus Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) is a plant, and like all other green plants, gets its energy from the Sun through photosynthesis. This plant, however, catches flies and breaks down their bodies using chemicals to meet its needs. Which environmental condition has led to this adaptation?

• Excessive insect populations

• Soil with few nutrients

• Low atmospheric oxygen

• Increased average daily temperatures

Three-toed tree sloths are mammals which live in the jungle trees of Central and South America. The majority of a sloth’s diet consists of leaves and buds from trees. As rainforest habitats are being destroyed, how will these organisms most likely be affected?

• Most sloths will become carnivores.

• The sloth population will likely decrease.

• Some sloths will start to hibernate.

• A cave-dwelling population will appear.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Lions and cheetahs prey on wildebeests that graze in the grasslands of the African savanna. What likely effect would increased rainfall over several rainy seasons have on the populations of wildebeests, lions, and cheetahs?

• All three populations would increase.

• The wildebeests populations would decrease, and the lion and cheetah populations would increase.

• The wildebeests would increase, and the lion and cheetah populations would decrease.

• All three populations would decrease.

DDT is a pesticide that was once widely used to control agricultural pests and mosquitoes. However, this pesticide caused the eggshells of certain birds, including the brown pelican, to become fragile and thin. The adults would then accidentally crush the eggs while trying to incubate them.

What happened to the brown pelican populations as a result of DDT use by humans?

• The populations increased much more slowly

• The populations decreased as fewer eggs survived long enough to hatch.

• The populations remained stable over time.

• The populations increased as pelicans laid more eggs so that more offspring would survive.

If global climate change leads to the elimination of snow in the habitat of white-tailed ptarmigans, which adaptation is most likely to occur over many generations?

• Birds with white feathers in areas without winter snow will be easier for predators to find. Over time this could lead to white-tailed ptarmigans that have brown feathers throughout the year.

• Birds with brown feathers in areas without winter snow will be easier for predators to find. Over time this could lead to white-tailed ptarmigans that have white feathers throughout the year.

• Birds with white feathers will be easier to see on the ground in the summer. Over time this could lead to white-ptarmigans that have white feathers throughout the year.

• Birds with brown feathers will be easier to see on the ground in the winter. Over time this could lead to white-tailed ptarmigans that have brown feathers throughout the year.

Scientists are studying the effects of climate change on the Baltic Sea. Some scientists predict that if current trends continue, the Baltic Sea will become less salty, and it will contain less dissolved oxygen. As a result of these changes, the Baltic Sea will have less biodiversity.

Which statement best explains why biodiversity of the Baltic Sea could decrease if these changes occur?

• Fewer types of plants and animals are found in warm water than in cool water.

• Plants and animals adapted for living in saltwater will grow more slowly in water that has less salt.

• Plants and animals adapated for living in saltier conditions will not be able to survive and reproduce.

• Animals adapted for living in warm water will eat all the plants and animals adapted for living in cool water.

an inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival

• biodiversity

• environmental change

• adaptation