7.11 Extinction

• What is the definition of extinction?

  Complete disappearance of a species
• Order the impacts of extinction on biodiversity and ecosystems.

  1️⃣ Loss of Biodiversity

  2️⃣ Disruption of Ecosystems

  3️⃣ Cascading Effects on Food Webs

  4️⃣ Reduced Genetic Diversity
• Match the cause of extinction with its explanation.

  Habitat Destruction ↔️ Loss of natural environment

  Overexploitation ↔️ Excessive harvesting of species

  Invasive Species ↔️ Introduction of non-native organisms
• Habitat destruction often results from human activities like deforestation and urbanization.
• What is overexploitation as a cause of extinction?

  Excessive harvesting of species
• What are the primary differences between background extinction and mass extinction?

  Scale, speed, and causes
• Match the impact of extinction with its explanation.

  Loss of Biodiversity ↔️ Reduces genetic diversity

  Disruption of Ecosystems ↔️ Imbalances food webs
• What type of contamination can directly harm species in an ecosystem?

  Pollution
• What are the main causes of background extinction?

  Resource depletion, competition
• The dodo went extinct due to overhunting and habitat destruction in Mauritius.
• The Tasmanian tiger was driven to extinction by overhunting and habitat loss in Tasmania.

  True
• What were the primary causes of the woolly mammoth's extinction?

  Climate change, human hunting
• Unsustainable harvesting of resources, such as overfishing, is an example of overexploitation.
• Human activities have severe consequences for biodiversity, threatening the delicate balance of ecosystems.


  True
• What is the definition of extinction in biological terms?

  Last individual of species dies
• Match the cause of extinction with its explanation:

  Habitat Destruction ↔️ Loss of natural environment

  Overexploitation ↔️ Over-harvesting of species

  Climate Change ↔️ Shifts in environmental factors
• Mass extinction significantly reduces biodiversity.


  True
• Which extinct species was native to Mauritius Island?

  Dodo
• Match the extinct species with its primary cause of extinction:

  Dodo ↔️ Overhunting

  Woolly Mammoth ↔️ Climate change
• Background extinction maintains a stable ecosystem by allowing adaptation and evolution
• Mass extinction events are often caused by catastrophic environmental changes.


  True
• Climate change mitigation reduces climate-related habitat loss and species extinction.


  True
• The loss of a species can disrupt the food web within an ecosystem.
• What are some major causes of extinction today?

  Habitat destruction, climate change
• Extinction is a significant threat to the health and stability of the biosphere.


  True
• Unlike natural selection, extinction signifies a species' inability to adapt to changing conditions.
• How does extinction differ from natural selection?

  Extinction is a failure to adapt
• Conservation efforts are essential to mitigate the effects of extinction.


  True
• Mass extinction is caused by catastrophic environmental changes.
• How does the loss of biodiversity affect ecosystem resilience?

  Makes ecosystems less resilient
• The loss or degradation of an organism's natural environment is known as habitat destruction.
• The over-harvesting or over-hunting of a species beyond its ability to replenish its population is called overexploitation.
• Invasive species can disrupt local ecosystems by outcompeting or preying on native species.


  True
• Shifts in temperature, precipitation, and other environmental factors due to climate change can make a habitat unsuitable for a species to thrive.
• Background extinction is a large-scale event that eliminates a significant percentage of species in a short period.

  False
• Mass extinction events are usually caused by catastrophic environmental changes.
• Match the type of extinction with its characteristics:

  Background Extinction ↔️ Normal rate of species loss

  Mass Extinction ↔️ Large-scale elimination of species
• Background extinction is a gradual process driven by causes like resource depletion and interspecies competition.
• Mass extinction events are often caused by catastrophic incidents such as asteroid impacts or global climate changes.


  True
• Match the feature with the correct type of extinction:

  Rate | Background Extinction ↔️ Slow and continuous

  Impact on Biodiversity | Mass Extinction ↔️ Significantly reduces biodiversity