Question

How many species of living things are there? What would happen if many of these species died off?

a) There are over 8 million known species. If many of them died off, it would disrupt ecosystems and potentially lead to extinction.
b) There are about 1 million known species. If many of them died off, it would have no significant impact on the environment.
c) There are only a few thousand known species. If many of them died off, it would have a minor impact on the environment.
d) There are billions of known species. If many of them died off, it would lead to overpopulation of certain species.

Answer 1

There are about 8.7 million eukaryotic species and possibly 30 million species alive on Earth today. If many species died off, it would disrupt ecosystems and potentially lead to extinction

Step-by-step explanation:

The exact number of species on Earth is unknown, but scientists estimate that there are about 8.7 million eukaryotic species, with only 1.5 million identified and studied. There may be as many as 30 million different species alive on Earth today. Biodiversity, or the number and variety of organisms in the biosphere, is important because different species are well-adapted to live and survive in many different types of environments.

If many species died off, it would disrupt ecosystems and potentially lead to extinction. For example, if a natural disaster killed all large organisms, the small organisms would still survive. However, if many species disappeared, it would have a major impact on the environment and the balance of ecosystems.