Grade 08 Science
Genes and Extinction
Let’s Share
What comes to mind when you hear the
word extinction? Can you name any
species that have gone extinct?
Objectives
Define extinction and Identify the human Explore how extinction
explain its significance in impacts and different events shape biodiversity
the Earth's history. causes of extinction. and ecosystems.
Extinction Dodo Bird
Extinction is the complete disappearance of
a species from Earth. This means that no
living members of the species exist anymore.
som e no ta ble e xa m p le s of
Here are
at h av e go ne ext in ct :
animals th
Tasmanian Tiger
Adaptation
The adaptations of an organism are due
to its genes. Changes in an ecosystem can
affect species in an area because they
may no longer be so well adapted to the
new conditions. The organisms can become
endangered or even extinct.
Go to PPT Different
habitat
Go to PPT Different
habitat
Two Types
Mass extinction happens Background extinction
when a large number of refers to the normal rate
species go extinct in a short at which species go extinct
period of geological time. due to natural causes.
Mass Background
Current Rate
Scientists estimate that species are currently
going extinct at a rate that is 100 to 1,000
times faster than the background rate.
Common causes of this rapid extinction rate
include habitat loss, climate change,
overexploitation, pollution, and invasive species.
The Toolache wallaby lost its habitat due
Habitat Loss
to extensive land clearing for agriculture
and livestock grazing, leading to its
extinction in the 20th century.
Habitat loss occurs when The Toolache wallaby lost its habitat due
natural environments like to extensive land clearing for agriculture
and livestock grazing, leading to its
forests, wetlands, and coral extinction in the 20th century.
reefs are destroyed or
altered. This can happen due
to deforestation, urbanization,
agriculture, and mining.
The Baiji suffered from severe habitat
degradation due to industrialization, dam
construction, and increased river traffic. Baiji
was last seen in the early 2000s.
Steller’s sea cow, a large marine
mammal discovered in the Bering Sea,
was hunted to extinction within 27 years
Overhunting
of its discovery in 1741.
Overexploitation happens
when species are hunted,
fished, or harvested at
unsustainable levels.
Overexploitation can quickly
reduce population sizes,
The Falkland Islands wolf was hunted to
extinction by European settlers who saw leading to extinction.
it as a threat to their livestock. By 1876,
the species was extinct, making it the
only canid species to become extinct in
modern times.
The woolly mammoth thrived during the
Habitat Loss
Ice Age. As the climate began to warm
approximately 12,000 years ago, the
mammoths' habitat started to shrink,
and so did their population, before finally
going extinct.
Climate change refers to
the long-term changes in
temperature, precipitation,
and weather patterns. It
can alter habitats, making
them unsuitable for certain
species. The saber-toothed cat was a top
predator during the Pleistocene epoch.
Environmental shifts, along with
competition from other predators,
contributed to its extinction around
10,000 years ago.
The dodo bird, native to the island of
Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, went
extinct largely due to the
introduction of invasive species like
Invasiveness
rats, pigs, and monkeys by European
sailors. This led to the dodo's
extinction by the late 17th century.
Invasive species are non-native
organisms that are introduced
to a new environment. These
species can outcompete, prey
on, or bring diseases to native
The introduction of European settlers species, leading to declines or
brought with them dogs, which
competed with the Tasmanian tigers extinctions.
for food and sometimes preyed on
young Tasmanian tigers. The last
known Tasmanian tiger died in
captivity in 1936.
Competition
Thank You!
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