Question

egrets are birds that walk out into the shallow water of marshes and wetlands to catch fish and insects with their long beaks. which short - term environmental changes could have a direct impact on a population of egrets along the coast of florida? check all that apply: ☐ flood ☐ drought ☐ earthquake ☐ volcanic eruption ☐ tsunami

Explanation:

To determine short - term environmental changes affecting egrets:

• Flood: Floods can alter the shallow water habitats (marshes, wetlands) where egrets hunt. Excess water can displace fish and insects or change the hunting grounds, directly impacting the egret population.
• Drought: Drought reduces the water in marshes and wetlands. With less shallow water, the availability of fish and insects (the egrets' food) decreases, directly affecting the egret population.
• Earthquake: Florida is not in a major earthquake - prone zone, and earthquakes do not directly impact the shallow water habitats or the food sources of egrets in a short - term, direct way related to their hunting environment.
• Volcanic Eruption: Florida has no active volcanoes, and a volcanic eruption would not directly impact the coastal egret habitats in Florida in the short - term.
• Tsunami: While Florida is coastal, tsunamis are rare and not a short - term, direct environmental change affecting the regular shallow water habitats of egrets for hunting. Tsunamis are more related to large - scale oceanic disturbances rather than the typical marsh/wetland shallow water environments egrets use.

Answer:

A. flood, B. drought