16. How did the success of photosynthetic bacteria change Earth’s atmosphere?
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1 point
increased oxygen concentration
decreased oxygen concentration
increased hydrogen concentration
decreased hydrogen concentration
The success of photosynthetic bacteria, specifically cyanobacteria, had a significant impact on Earth's atmosphere. These bacteria are capable of carrying out photosynthesis, a process that uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose with oxygen being released as a byproduct. This process dramatically increased the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere.
To get the answer, you can recall the process of photosynthesis and how oxygen is produced as a byproduct. By understanding that photosynthetic bacteria contributed to oxygen production on Earth, you can conclude that the success of these bacteria increased the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Therefore, the correct answer is "increased oxygen concentration."