Earth History, Mass Extinctions, and Classification of Life

Flashcards reviewing topics on geological timeline, crustal movements, mass extinctions, biodiversity statistics, human impact, kingdom traits, and taxonomic classification.

What supercontinent existed approximately 245 million years ago during the Paleozoic era?

Pangaea

What two major landmasses resulted from the breakup of Pangaea approximately 135 million years ago during the Mesozoic era?

Laurasia and Gondwana

Where is the Chicxulub crater located?

On the Yucatán Peninsula in North America

How many species have currently been identified?

1.8 million species

Based on an extinction rate of 0.01% per year out of 100 million species, how many species go extinct each day?

28 species a day (or 10,000 species per year)

What proportion of all known species has gone extinct since 1970?

One fourth of all known species

How many beetle species were discovered in 19 trees in the Amazon rainforest in 1980?

1,200 species

According to the lecture notes, what percentage of all plastic is recycled?

9%

Where does the illegal trade of wild animals rank among illegal trades globally?

It is second only to the trade of illegal drugs.

Which kingdom includes organisms characterized as having eukaryotic cells, being multicellular, and absorbing their nutrients?

Kingdom Fungi

Which kingdom includes organisms characterized as having eukaryotic cells, being multicellular, and eating their food?

Kingdom Animalia

Which group in the five-kingdom system includes unicellular or colonial prokaryotic organisms?

Monera

What are the three domains in the three-domain classification system?

Domain Bacteria, Domain Archaea, and Domain Eukarya

What is taxonomy defined as in the lecture notes?

The study of species identification.

What mnemonic device is provided in the notes to recall the hierarchy of biological classification?

"Divine King Phillip Came Over From Greece Singing" (Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species)

According to this diagram of biological classification, what taxonomic rank comes immediately below Class and above Family?

Order

How should scientific binomial nomenclature names be formatted when written?

The Genus is capitalized, the species epithet is lowercase, and the whole name is italicized or underlined (e.g., Homo sapiens).

What are the primary drivers of ecosystem exploitation causing the current mass extinction?

High resource consumption by an ever-increasing human population leading to habitat destruction, pollution, and overexploitation of resources.