How can changes in an environment affect organisms

2.  It may be hard to notice, but ecosystems are always
changing, some changes make it hard for living
things to survive.
 These changes can happen by:
1) Natural events.
2) Animals.
3) People.

3. Volcanoes:
-
1
.
ash
Volcanoes can fill a valley with
-

4. Hurricanes:
-
2
- Hurricanes can destroy coastal wetlands.

5. A lot of rain:
-
3
- A lot of rain can cause landslides, turning hills to
rivers of mud.

6. Too little rain:
-
4
-Too little rain causes drought "soil dry up".

7.  A swarm of Locusts can eat any plants along
their path leaving a whole community
without food

8.  An alligator makes holes in muddy wetlands
by its feet, tail & snout.
 when these holes are filled with water, it
helps animals to survive in droughts.

9. Deforestation
)
1
-When people cut down the forests to build houses &
buildings,This destroy many forest habitats.
- Living things lose their homes & source of food

10. Overpopulation
)
2
-When too many individuals live in an area.
-The more people there are, the more they use &
consume.
- So water & space become harder to find.

11. Pollution
)
3
- It’s adding harmful things to air & water.
-Cars, trunks & power plants give off gases which can
harm the air we breathe.
-Litter “Trash that is disposed in properly” is a form
of pollution too.
- Pollution can kill plants & animals in an ecosystem

12. Protection
)
4
-People driving less & using hybrid cars can protect
the ecosystem.
- People treat wastes to remove harmful substance.
- Planting new trees, recycling paper, glass & plastic
are ways of protecting your ecosystem.

13. Accommodating
)
1
- It’s how individuals respond to change.
Examples:
A fire can destroy the main food supply of an
animal in a forest, so some animals like: deer can
change their diet.They may eat tree bark instead
of leaves.
-Others will use new plants or materials as
shelter

14. Moving Away:
)
2
When some animals cannot accommodate
ecosystems change.
-They find new places to live; their search
for food, water & shelter may take them
far away.

15. Extinction:
)
3
Some living things cannot accommodate an ecosystem change
or move away to another habitat.
If an organism doesn't meet its needs, it will die.
-Some times an entire species can slowly disappear.
- A species is extinct when the last of its kind dies.
Example
Dinosaurs – Passenger pigeon

16.  A living thing that has few of its kind is
endangered. E.g. "Giant panda“

17.  Large numbers of giant panda bears
once lived in China.
 Pandas eat bamboo.
 When people began to cut down the
bamboo forests, the pandas could not
find enough to eat, so they are
endangered.
 Scientists are trying to prevent the
extinction of panda bears.
 Large areas of land in China are
preserved for pandas to live.
 Now, panda cubs are born in these
protected places.