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Environmental changes cannot cause problems for animals.
This is a false statement. Environmental changes can cause significant problems for animals. If humans cut down a forest to build a new neighborhood, animals are displaced, maybe without homes, or food sources are lost. These would be terrible changes to the environment that would have long-lasting effects on animals.
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Birds that are migrating to California usually stop along the way to rest, eat, and drink water. The birds head to California to get away from the frigid weather in Canada. They would not survive without migrating. This year as the birds land at their usual stopping points, they notice it is hotter and dryer than average. As humans, we realize we are in a drought, but the birds do not know this. They are struggling to make the rest of the journey because it is too hot, and there is no water to drink.
How could the animals adjust their behaviors because of the environmental changes?
The birds are facing more than one problem caused by the environment in this scenario. They have to get to California to stay out of the cold weather in Canada, but there is nowhere to rest with food and water on their current route. The birds may have to change their course to avoid the drought-ridden areas to survive the migration.
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What is a negative effect that an environmental change may have on an animal?
Animals can suffer adverse consequences that require them to change their behavior to survive. If animals are used to crossing through a wooded area to get to a food or water source, they will continue to do so even after a road or neighborhood is built. Animals will have to change this behavior to avoid being hit by vehicles.
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What does the term environmental change mean?
An environmental change is a disturbance that causes changes. It can be human-made or something caused by nature. It can cause plants and animals to adjust and adapt their behaviors to the new environment to survive.
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Which answer choice is an example of a change that an animal would NOT be able to make due to the environment changing?
Animals often have to change their behaviors to adapt to changes in the environment. Bats would not be able to improve their eyesight to locate more insects suddenly. Bats have poor vision and use echolocation to find food; they cannot control their sight to make it easier for locating bugs. This is a change that they would not be able to do.
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Polar bears hunt seals through holes in the sea ice. They travel from great distances across sheets of frozen water to find seal colonies. The seals rest on the ice in large groups and raise their pups. When the seals go out to hunt fish they slip into the water from the edge of the ice.
If temperatures rise and the ice begins to melt, what impact could there be for the seals?
Animals may have to change when there are environmental changes that impact their lives. In the case of the seal dealing with the difference in the amount of sea ice, the change would need to be huge to survive. Seals rely on the sea ice for raising their pups and escaping polar bears, so they would either need to adapt and change their offspring-rearing techniques or find another place to live. These changes would be challenging, and the seals may not survive.
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Environmental changes will only affect animals if they make temperatures warmer.
This is a false statement. Environmental changes can cause significant problems for animals. These effects are not solely because of temperatures rising. If temperatures dropped and animals were not well-adapted or equipped to deal with the change, they may not survive. If forests are cut down, droughts occurred, or massive flooding engulfed an area, animals would be affected. These would be terrible changes to the environment that would have long-lasting effects on animals.
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Birds that are migrating to California usually stop along the way to rest, eat, and drink water. The birds head to California to get away from the frigid weather in Canada. They would not survive without migrating. This year as the birds land at their usual stopping points, they notice it is hotter and dryer than average. As humans, we realize we are in a drought, but the birds do not know this. They are struggling to make the rest of the journey because it is too hot, and there is no water to drink.
What will most likely happen to the birds because of the severe drought?
The birds are facing more than one problem caused by the environment in this scenario. They have to get to California to stay out of the cold weather in Canada, but there is nowhere to rest with food and water on their current route. The birds will likely not make the journey and die if they do not have access to water. It is improbable that the birds will make the trip back home due to exhaustion, and they cannot dig into the ground for water sources.
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What is a positive effect that an environmental change may have on an animal?
Animals can suffer adverse consequences that require them to change their behavior to survive, but there are also positive effects of environmental changes. "Jackson's Boy Scout troop installed new bat houses in the local park" is the correct answer because this adds shelter for bats, which is positive, and it will bring more bats to the area to eat pesky insects.
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Which answer choice is an example of a change that an animal would be able to make due to the environment changing?
Animals often have to change their behaviors to adapt to changes in the environment. Cats would be able to hide under cars to escape a thunderstorm and stay dry. This is a change that they would be able to do. The other answer choices are improbably or impossible for animals to do.
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