Question

Assigning the label of "mass extinction" to an extinction event requires:

A) a large number of extinctions
B) a reduced origination rate
C) a significant increase over the background extinction rate
D) all of the above

Answer 1

A mass extinction event requires a significant increase over the background extinction rate, a reduced origination rate, and a large number of extinctions. An example is the most recent mass extinction event, which wiped out the dinosaurs and many other species due to an asteroid impact.

Step-by-step explanation:

A mass extinction event is characterized by a significant increase over the background extinction rate, a reduced origination rate, and a large number of extinctions. These events are marked by sudden and dramatic losses in biodiversity, with more than half of all species disappearing from the fossil record.

For example, the most recent mass extinction event, which occurred about 65 million years ago, resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species.

It was caused by the impact of a large asteroid in the present-day Yucatán Peninsula and the subsequent global climate changes.