Mass extinction
A widespread and geologically rapid decrease in biodiversity, typically defined as the loss of more than 75% of species within a geologically short interval (under 2.8 million years). Earth has experienced five major mass extinctions; evidence suggests a sixth is currently underway due to human activity.
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Related Terms
End-Permian extinction
The most severe mass extinction in Earth's history, approxim...
Chicxulub impact
The asteroid impact approximately 66 million years ago that ...
Adaptive radiation
The rapid diversification of a single ancestral lineage into...
Sixth mass extinction
The ongoing, human-driven extinction event in which species ...