Biology
12th Edition
ISBN: 9780134813448
Author: Audesirk, Teresa, Gerald, Byers, Bruce E.
Publisher: Pearson,
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Videos
Textbook Question
Chapter 18, Problem 1AC
Extinctions have occurred throughout the history of life on Earth. Why should we care if humans are causing a mass extinction event now?
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solution
Students have asked these similar questions
Throughout Earth’s history, many species, and perhaps even most of the species that ever existed, have become extinct. The causes are numerous: climate change, volcanic activity, the actions of oxygen-producing organisms, changes in carbon dioxide concentration, and even asteroid impacts. Have humans ever caused extinctions?
We have looked at what the fossil record can tell us about the amazing History of Life on Earth. We've examined the evidence for an early origin for life in the sea, 3800 million years, and investigated how life invaded life about 500 million years. We've also discussed the subsequent boom in life that massively increased biodiversity but also noted how the History of Life is frequently punctuated by mass extinctions. Today we stand on the threshold of a new mass extinction event. The biodiversity that we take for granted and that sustains humans is threatened to a degree only rarely seen in 4500 million years of Earth History.
NOW TO CONCLUDE, ANSWER THE QUESTION.
1. ARE WE ON THE BRINK OF A MASS EXTINCTION? WHAT WOULD BE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIETY OF LOSING HALF OF ALL SPECIES BY 2100? ARE THERE ACTIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS SOCIETY TO HELP PROTECT LIFE ON EARTH?
WHAT IS MASS EXTINCTION? HOW DID MASS EXTINCTION EVENTS INFLUENCE EARTH'S HISTORY?
Chapter 18 Solutions
Biology
Ch. 18.1 - How Would the experiments result charge if oxygen...Ch. 18.1 - describe a likely scenario for the origin of life?Ch. 18.1 - describe, for each step in the scenario, some...Ch. 18.2 - Uranium-235, with a half-life of 713 million...Ch. 18.2 - Scientists have identified a free living bacterium...Ch. 18.2 - describe scenarios for the major evolutionary...Ch. 18.2 - State the order in which these events occurred,...Ch. 18.3 - describe fossil evidence of the earliest...Ch. 18.3 - describe the advantages that fostered the origin...Ch. 18.3 - Prob. 3CYL
Ch. 18.4 - Prob. 1TCCh. 18.4 - Does the mudskippers ability to walk on land...Ch. 18.4 - Can ancient DNA reveal the secrets of dinosaur...Ch. 18.4 - Although it may never be possible to recover DNA...Ch. 18.4 - describe the transitions and innovations...Ch. 18.4 - describe the advantages gained by the first plants...Ch. 18.5 - Scientists have cloned a number of animal species,...Ch. 18.5 - explain how extinction has affected the course of...Ch. 18.5 - describe the likely causes of mass extinctions in...Ch. 18.6 - We might be able to more easily distinguish...Ch. 18.6 - Paleontologists recently discovered fossil...Ch. 18.6 - describe the evolutionary history of humans and...Ch. 18.6 - name and describe some characteristics of the...Ch. 18.6 - describe the key features of the most recent phase...Ch. 18.6 - The unexpected discovery that humans interbred...Ch. 18 - Almost all of the oxygen gas in todays atmosphere...Ch. 18 - Extinction a. generally does not occur except...Ch. 18 - In the endosymbiotic origin of the mitochondrion,...Ch. 18 - Which of the following does not list evolutionary...Ch. 18 - Prob. 5MCCh. 18 - Because there was no oxygen in the earliest...Ch. 18 - The molecule _________ became a candidate for the...Ch. 18 - Complex cells that contain a nucleus and other...Ch. 18 - The Sperm of early land plants had to reach the...Ch. 18 - Prob. 5FIBCh. 18 - Prob. 6FIBCh. 18 - Prob. 7FIBCh. 18 - What is the evidence that life might have...Ch. 18 - How did the origin of photosynthesis affect...Ch. 18 - Explain the endosymbiont hypothesis for the origin...Ch. 18 - Name two advantages of multicellularity for plants...Ch. 18 - What advantages and disadvantages would...Ch. 18 - Prob. 6RQCh. 18 - Prob. 7RQCh. 18 - Extinctions have occurred throughout the history...Ch. 18 - In biological terms, what do you think was the...
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, biology and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What is a mass extinction? What makes the 6th mass extinction that is happening right now different from the last 5?arrow_forwardWhich of the following is believed to be common among all mass extinction events? the type of event that causes the extinction the number of species that went extinct a significant change in the global climate the type of species that went extinctarrow_forwardIncreases in species diversity arise because of A)increases in the rate of speciation. B)decreases in the rate of extinction. C)higher rates of speciation than extinction. D)All of the above The rates of extinction since the origin of life have followed which pattern? A)Gradual decrease B)Gradual increase C)No change D)Several episodes of mass extinctions, with much lower rates of fluctuating extinctions in between Which of the following statements about the outcome of the evolution of a new species through hybridization is false? A)The new species is always an intermediate of the two parent species. B)The new species may have traits that allow it to inhabit environments different from both parental species. C)The new species may have greater genetic diversity and therefore greater trait diversity than the parental species. D)All of the above How can ecological processes influence the evolution of a population? A)Ecological…arrow_forward
- Scientists are examining the possible role of a large asteroid in the Cretaceous mass extinction event. A large asteroid strike would likely have caused rapid climate cooling and diffusion of sunlight. Which of the following statements are the best null and alternative hypotheses when scientists look at the geologic evidence of extinction related to the asteroid strike? Null: The rate of extinction would be steady over the entire length of time the climate was altered. Alternative: The rate of extinction would be greatest immediately before the asteroid strike. Null: The rate of extinction would gradually decrease over the entire length of time the climate was altered. Alternative: The rate of extinction would be at its lowest immediately after the asteroid strike. Null: The rate of extinction would be steady over the entire length of time the climate was altered. Alternative: The rate of extinction would be greatest immediately after the asteroid strike. Null: The rate of extinction…arrow_forwardWhich of the following is likely a reason why evolutionary radiation would occur on islands? A) there are many more species on islands B) islands tend to have more favourable habitats than continents because they are moderated by the ocean C) islands may have fewer animal and plant groups and thus provide more ecological opportunities D) organisms can disperse easily across oceans E) islands often have more diverse habitats than continentsarrow_forwardPerhaps 98 percent to 99 percent of all species that have ever existed areextinct. Nearly all went extinct long before humans arrived on the scene. Whyshould we be concerned about the extinction of organisms today?arrow_forward
- What is adaptive Radiation It is when radiation cause mutations It is when animals adapted to solar radiation It is when a species rapidly adapts to many new and open environmentsarrow_forwardWe are now in 6th mass extinction caused by human. So how to prevent next mass extinction on earth?? Kindly answer this questionarrow_forward29) The Cretaceous extinction. which was the most recent mass extinction, occurred about 65.5 million years ago. What is the leading hypothesis to explain the Cretaceous extenction? A) The Indian sub-continent collided with the Asian techtonic plate, giving rise to the Hymalayan mountains which altered the jet stream and caused the planet to enter an ice age B) An asteroid about 6 km in diameter collided with Earth, which vaporized the caribbean ocean, set fire to north and south America, and expelled enough dust into the atmosphere to block the sun enough to result in a winter like environment all across the globe for several years C) A new group of predators evolved that were significantly better at capturing prey, to the point that they drove many species (including other predators and eventually themselves) to extinction D) Massive amounts of volcanic activity released tons of CO2, enough to significantly increase the temperature of the planet 30) The Permian extinction, which…arrow_forward
- How does finding the same fossils of a land animal on two different continents support the hypothesis of continental drift? A) The land animal fossil is now found in colder parts of the world which means the continents had drifted since the fossils were made. B) The land animal fossil could only have ended up fossilized on both continents if they were once together C) The land animal fossil was unable to swim across oceans so the fact that its fossils were found on distant continents suggested those continents had once been fused together as later moved apart. D) The land animal fossil wasnt found in Asia which wegner thought was only stable continent that hadn’t moved.arrow_forwardWhat are the five mass extinctions of the past and the current theory of the sixth mass extinction? For each extinctions, what caused the extinction and how was ecosystem stability impacted? Was there any speciation that occurred afterward?arrow_forward9) Rocks containing fossil evidence have been found in Canada suggesting how life on Earth evolved. What about the rocks led to this belief? A) They contained graphite, a from of pure carbon. B) They contained fossil evidence of human remains. C) They were metamorphic rocks with traces of water. D) They were extrusive rocks that came from the volcanic vents. Not Gradedarrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
Biology (MindTap Course List)BiologyISBN:9781337392938Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. BergPublisher:Cengage Learning
Biology (MindTap Course List)
Biology
ISBN:9781337392938
Author:Eldra Solomon, Charles Martin, Diana W. Martin, Linda R. Berg
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Fossil: The Language & History of Paleontology; Author: Alliterative;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9yNwRBlKtU;License: Standard youtube license