Environmental Changes Reading and Question

Which of the following is an example of a long-term environmental change?

• A forest fire

• A hurricane

• A factory polluting a lake

• A glacier moving over a region.

What is true about short-term environmental changes?

• Many short-term environmental changes are due to predictable weather patterns and happen over time.

• Short-term environmental changes never cause lasting effects in an area.

• Many short-term environmental changes are due to natural disasters and happen quickly and without much warning.

• Short-term environmental changes are usually predictable and easy to avoid.

In a farm ecosystem, a farmer starts using a certain pesticide to protect his crops. A species of cricket is especially susceptible to this pesticide and most of the population dies off. What type of environmental change is this?

• It is a long-term environmental change.

• It is a short-term environmental change.

• It is not an environmental change.

• It is a permanent environmental change.

Which of the following is an example of a short-term environmental change?

• A city building a dam and rerouting the water resources in an area, so it becomes flooded.

• Receding coastline

• Weathering of rock

• Tectonic plate movement.

Short-term environmental changes are not likely to cause adaptations in a population.

• True

• False

Fill in the blank: When an area is deforested, many organisms lose their _______.

• habitats.

• homes.

• food sources.

• water supply.

Fill in the blank: _______ environmental changes can cause the genes of an entire population to change.

• Sudden

• Short-term

• Long-term

• Minor

Fill in the blank: An avalanche in the top of the Andes Mountains drastically reduces the population of conifers and mountain goats in an area. This is an example of a _______ environmental change.

• seasonal

• long-term

• permanent

• short-term

Peppered moths in the early 1800’s were mostly white-winged insects. During the Industrial Revolution, these moths had a hard time staying camouflaged against the ash-covered environment near factories. As a result, the moths started producing more offspring that had gray wings. This gradual change in the genetics of the moth is called a(n) ______.

• mutation

• adaptation

• evolution

• natural selection

Examine the data in the chart. In what year does the data indicate that the Sam Houston National Forest experienced a short-term environmental change?

• 2002

• 2003

• 2004

• 2005