Name: ___________________________
Per.: _______
Date: _____
Mass Extinctions on Earth over Time
Create the Graph.
Data
Millions of years
Number of Families
(Related groups of
species)
525
100
510
180
500
160
475
300
450
410
440
405
435
325
415
425
410
430
400
425
380
440
370
440
350
367
333
395
325
435
240
375
235
210
220
380
205
240
100
550
80
600
65
530
0
760
Graphing in EXCEL directions
1. Open an Excel Document.
2. DO NOT ENTER ANY LETTERS OR WORDS. Enter the numbers for
millions of years in Column A; number of families in Column B.
3. Pull down Insert menu. Select Chart. Select (XY) Scatter. Select the graph
with connected points. Click Next. Click Next (again).
4. Chart Title: Mass Extinctions – Your Name. Value (X) Axis: millions of years
ago. Value (Y) Axis: number of families. Click Next.
5. Select As New Sheet. Print out and tape/glue/staple in your notebook.
Questions:
1. For each mass extinction #1-5, write how many million years ago each
extinction happened on your graph (you get this by looking at the graph).
Go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambrian%E2%80%93Ordovician_extinction_eve
nts
2. The series of mass extinctions 488 million years ago eliminated many
________________ and __________________ and severely reduced the
number of ________________ species.
Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction_event
Scroll down. The numbered list #1-5 writes about the 5 mass extinctions.
3. The mass extinction 444 million years ago is the ______________ largest
of the five major extinctions (in terms of overall loss of life).
4. The mass extinction 360 million years ago eliminated about ______ % of all
species.
5. The Permian-Triassic extinction event, which was Earth’s largest extinction,
happened ______ million years ago. About ____% of all marine species and an
estimated ____% of land species became extinct. This extinction ended the
dominance of _____________-like reptiles and created the opportunity for
_________________ and then ______________ to become the dominant
land vertebrates.
6. 200 million years ago, about ____% of all marine families as well as most
non-dionsaurian archosaurs, most therapsids, and the last of the large
_____________________ were eliminated.
7. 65 million years ago, about _____% of all species became extinct. It has great
significance for humans because it ended the reign of __________________
and opened the way for ______________ to become the dominant land
vertebrates.
Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction
8. Today most biologists think we are going through ANOTHER extinction event
that HUMANS are causing. Many scientists predict that humanity’s (human’s)
destruction of the biosphere (The biosphere is the part of the Earth, including
air, land, surface rocks, and water, within which life occurs) could cause the
extinction of ____% of all species by the year _______!!!
9. List three things that humans can do/change to prevent this next mass
extinction that humans are causing.