Extinction

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/extinction

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary anthropogenic drivers?Habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution, invasive species, and climate change
2. What is the related scientific field?Conservation biology, which studies how to protect species and ecosystems from extinction
3. What are the two main types of extinction?Background extinction happens slowly over a long time, while mass extinction is a fast, big loss of many species in a short period.
4. Why is our time called the sixth mass extinction?Scientists say we are in a sixth mass extinction because many species are disappearing much faster than usual, mainly because of human activities.

Background Extinction: The natural, slow rate of species loss that occurs over geological time due to evolutionary pressures and environmental changes.
Mass Extinction: A catastrophic event causing a widespread and rapid decrease in the diversity of life on Earth.
Anthropogenic: Originating in human activity, particularly environmental pollution and other influences that are detrimental to the natural environment.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance.