Extinction Flashcards
1
Q
What is extinction?
A
The death of a species when every individual and the gene pool is gone
2
Q
What is background extinction?
A
Long-lasting rate at which taxa become extinct. Occurs in random or uncorrelated manners
3
Q
What is a mass extinction?
A
Highly elevated rate of extinction of taxa over a short period of geologic time
4
Q
How many mass extinctions have occurred so far?
A
5
5
Q
What were the 5 mass extinctions?
A
Ordovician, devonian, permian, triassic, cretaceous
6
Q
How is a mass extinction distinguished from background extinction?
A
Much higher rate of extinction, 100-1000X higher than background extinction rates
