Changes in Environments

Which of these might cause a forest habitat to become a desert?

• No rain

• Flooded rivers

• High winds

• Hot summers

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In one study, scientists found that the number of raccoons increased where people built homes in the raccoons’ habitats. Which of the following is the MOST LIKELY reason why the number of raccoons increased?

• Raccoons no longer lived in wild areas

• Raccoons found more food living near humans

• More predators of raccoons live near people’s homes

• People destroyed raccoon habitats when they built homes

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What might happen if the habitat of white-tailed deer decreases in size?

• White-tailed deer will have more food

• The number of white-tailed deer the habitat can support will decrease

• The number of white-tailed deer will increase

• Weaker white-tailed deer will survive longer

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A certain type of wildflower grew in a sunny meadow. Over several years, nearby trees formed a shade canopy over the entire meadow. Many years later, the wildflowers no longer grew in the meadow. Which factor directly led to the extinction of this population of wildflowers?

• The building of large cities

• Pollution from nearby homes

• Overpopulation of plant-eating organisms

• A change in the wildflower’s habitat

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A woodland is cut down so a shopping center and many new houses can be built over the next two years. What will MOST LIKELY occur in the local ecosystem in the next five years?

• Wildlife will compete less for food

• More species of birds will live there

• Water levels will be lower when it rains

• Rain will wash more pollution into creeks

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Highways allow people to travel between towns and cities. These highways also divide ecosystems into smaller pieces. Animals can become separated from lakes they use for breeding. For example, tiger salamanders travel long distances to breed at certain lakes. How could highway systems affect animals such as the tiger salamander?

• Tiger salamander habitats may be exposed to less pollution

• Tiger salamanders may be cut off from important resources

• Tiger salamanders could improve their ability to remember roads

• Tiger salamander habitats within ecosystems could become larger

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Bison are grazing animals. They travel across a prairie, eating grass. If there were too many bison in an area, there would probably be—

• fewer predators of bison

• many other large grazing animals

• tall shrubs and many trees

• less grass and more bare soil

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If disease removed a species of plant from a food web, how would that ecosystem MOST LIKELY be affected?

• All of the plants in the ecosystem would become extinct

• The organisms that eat the plant would become extinct

• Consumers of the plant would have a smaller food source

• Producers in the ecosystem would have a smaller energy supply

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Which of the following would have the greatest effect on an ecosystem because of the changes made to the environment?

• Bees building a hive in a hollow tree

• Wasps building a nest in a leafy bush

• Beavers building a dam across a stream

• Fish digging a burrow on a river bottom

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The Great Barrier Reef has a number of endangered species which live only in that ecosystem. What would MOST LIKELY happen if pollution killed most of the coral that made up the reef?

• The endangered species might become extinct

• The animals on the reef would find a new habitat

• The population size of the endangered species would increase

• The endangered species would take the niche of the dead coral

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