1. Environmental Change TEK Standard: 8.11B
Explore how short- and long-term environmental changes affect organisms and traits in subsequent populations.
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2. Short Term Environmental Changes
Short term environmental changes will have an effect for typically less than a decade.
These changes do not give populations time to adapt to the change and force them to move or become extinct.
They include changes such as:
Drought
Localized pollution
Flooding
Fires
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3. Drought
Populations may change migratory routes (move) to avoid locations that suffer drought.
They may also change their reproductive cycle to tie in with periods of plentiful water.
This trait will be passed on to subsequent populations (genetic variation).
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4. Localized Pollution
During the industrial revolution in England, a lot of soot was produced from factory chimneys.
To help peppered moths hide from predators in the soot, their population changed.
Dark colored moths became more dominant than lighter colored moths.
After the industrial revolution, the soot disappeared and lighter colored moths became more dominant.
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5. Flooding
A flood can dramatically change a local environment, wiping out the natural habitats of many species.
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6. Long Term Environmental Changes
Long term environmental changes can have an effect for decades, or even millions of years.
They include:
Deforestation
Volcanic eruptions
Underwater volcanoes and vents
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7. Long Term Environmental Changes
They also include:
Flooding due to dam building
Nuclear disasters
Global warming
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8. Deforestation
The habitats of many organisms are being reduced by deforestation.
The organisms will have to change and adapt to new habitats to survive.
Many will be camouflaged for protection in the forest, and this trait may change over subsequent populations to better suit their new environment.
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9. Volcanic Eruptions
Eruptions can affect the area local to a volcano, for example by increasing the levels of poisonous gases.
Taro Taylor
Some organisms adapt over subsequent populations to tolerate these levels of gases.
Lichen growing inside a volcano
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10. Nuclear Disasters
Where nuclear disasters have occurred, the environment can remain radioactive for a long time.
Explosion at Chernobyl nuclear power station
Map of Chernobyl radiation in Europe
Species may have to adapt to cope with increased levels of radiation.
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11. Global Warming
Many scientists believe that the overall temperature of the world’s climate is increasing.
Melting ice is reducing the size of the polar icecaps.
The seas and oceans are warming.
Populations of organisms that cannot adapt to these changes will die out.
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12. Global Warming
Populations may have to change locations to areas that suit their natural body temperature.
NSF
Or their genetic traits may alter to allow them to adapt to higher temperatures.
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13. Global Warming
The reproductive cycle may be changed, for example egg laying or flowering.
The physical traits of animals are modified by natural selection, for example by developing thinner fur or changing body size.
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