What is the difference between a mass extinction and a regular (background) extinction?(1 point)

Responses

Mass extinction occurs over a long period of time.
Mass extinction occurs over a long period of time.

Mass extinction can be caused by ecological factors like climate change and loss of habitat.
Mass extinction can be caused by ecological factors like climate change and loss of habitat.

Mass extinction involves many species over a short period of geologic time.
Mass extinction involves many species over a short period of geologic time.

Mass extinction is ongoing and is a regular process that results from evolution.

Background extinction refers to the continuous, low-level extinction of individual species over time due to natural selection and competition. In contrast, mass extinction events involve the widespread and rapid extinction of a large number of species across different ecosystems. Mass extinctions are often caused by catastrophic events such as asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions, or drastic climate change. Additionally, background extinctions are a normal part of the evolutionary process, while mass extinctions are considered rare and have significant impacts on biodiversity.

Mass extinction occurs over a long period of time.

Mass extinction occurs over a long period of time.

Mass extinction can be caused by ecological factors like climate change and loss of habitat.
Mass extinction can be caused by ecological factors like climate change and loss of habitat.

Mass extinction involves many species over a short period of geologic time.
Mass extinction involves many species over a short period of geologic time.

Mass extinction is ongoing and is a regular process that results from evolution.

It seems like there may be a misunderstanding in the responses. Mass extinction events actually typically occur over a relatively short period of time in geological terms, usually ranging from thousands to millions of years. They involve a significant loss of biodiversity with many species going extinct. Mass extinctions are not ongoing or regular processes that result from evolution, but rather rare and catastrophic events in Earth's history. Background extinctions, on the other hand, happen continuously over a longer period of time and are part of the natural process of evolution.