Question

the environment in maryland has over millions of years. in rocks from the paleozoic, we have found fossils of simple plants and animals that lived. by the mesozoic there was more dry land, and we begin to find fossils of many different plants and large reptiles. during the cenozoic we can find fossils of large mammals, many plants, and also many animals that lived in the water. this means that over time the number and types of organisms became and complex.

Explanation:

To solve this fill - in - the - blank problem about the environmental changes and evolution of organisms in Maryland over geological time, we analyze the context:

First Blank

The sentence is "The environment in Maryland has ____ over millions of years". The word that fits here is "changed" because the text later describes different environmental conditions (like more dry land in the Mesozoic) and changes in the types of organisms, so the environment has undergone change over time.

Second Blank

"In rocks from the Paleozoic, we have found fossils of simple plants and animals that lived __." Given the later mention of organisms living in water during the Cenozoic and the general knowledge of Paleozoic ecosystems (where many early life forms were aquatic), the word "then" (or "during that time" but in the context of the blank, "then" or more accurately, considering the flow, "in water" but wait, no, the next part says "By the Mesozoic there was more dry land, and we begin to find fossils of many different plants and large reptiles. During the Cenozoic we can find fossils of large mammals, many plants, and also many animals that lived in the water." Wait, maybe the first blank for the organisms' habitat: in the Paleozoic, the simple plants and animals lived "in water"? No, the second blank in the organisms' evolution part: "This means that over time the number and types of organisms became __ and complex." The word here should be "more" (as in "more numerous" and more complex, but the blank is before "and complex", so "more" to show an increase in number and complexity over time. Wait, let's re - examine the blanks:

Looking at the text structure:

1. "The environment in Maryland has [blank1] over millions of years." - The environment changes over geological time, so "changed".

1. "In rocks from the Paleozoic, we have found fossils of simple plants and animals that lived [blank2]." - In the Paleozoic, many early organisms lived in water (as later in Mesozoic there was more dry land and terrestrial organisms, and Cenozoic has both terrestrial and aquatic). So "in water"? But the next part: "By the Mesozoic there was more dry land, and we begin to find fossils of many different plants and large reptiles. During the Cenozoic we can find fossils of large mammals, many plants, and also many animals that lived in the water." Wait, maybe the second blank for the organisms' evolution: "This means that over time the number and types of organisms became [blank3] and complex." The word here is "more" (to indicate an increase in number and complexity, so "more" (numerous) and complex).

But let's list the possible answers for each blank:

Blank 1 (Environment change)

The environment in Maryland has changed over millions of years. (Because geological time brings environmental alterations like the increase in dry land in the Mesozoic as described.)

Blank 2 (Organism habitat in Paleozoic)

In rocks from the Paleozoic, we have found fossils of simple plants and animals that lived in water (Early life forms in the Paleozoic were often aquatic, and later periods saw more terrestrial and a mix of terrestrial and aquatic).

Blank 3 (Organism evolution - number and types)

This means that over time the number and types of organisms became more and complex. (To show an increase in the number of organisms and an increase in their complexity over geological time.)

• For the first blank, the context of different geological periods (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic) with varying environments (dry land increase, different organisms) implies the environment "changed" over time.
• For the second blank (organisms' habitat in Paleozoic), early life in the Paleozoic was largely aquatic, which is supported by the later development of terrestrial environments in Mesozoic and a mix in Cenozoic.
• For the third blank, the evolution of organisms over time shows an increase in both the number of species and their complexity, so "more" (numerous) fits with "complex".

Answer:

1. changed
2. in water (for the organisms' habitat blank)
3. more (for the organisms' number and complexity blank)

(Note: The exact blanks' positions were a bit unclear from the image, but based on the text flow, these are the most logical answers.)