HS - LS4.C (E) - Extinction - ASSIGNED (AM)

Module: Extinction

DCI: LS4.C (E) Species become extinct because they can no longer survive and reproduce in their altered environment. If members cannot adjust to change that is too fast or drastic, the opportunity for the species’ evolution is lost.

PE: HS-LS4-5 Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on determining cause and effect relationships for how changes to the environment such as deforestation, fishing, application of fertilizers, drought, flood, and the rate of change of the environment affect distribution or disappearance of traits in species.]

The ideas here are: 

- species become extinct when they can no longer survive and reproduce following an environmental change

- species can adapt to environmental change that is minor and/or gradual

- if an environmental change is sudden or drastic, members cannot adjust in time and will go extinct 

Possible Questions:
Species become extinct when they are unable to adapt to changes in the environment. The kinds of changes that lead to extinctions tend to be those that -

*are drastic and rapid
- impact large regions


This image
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/images/ExtinctionAndPopulationGraph.jpg

The graph could provide support for which of the following claims?
* Humans are responsible for environmental changes that are too rapid for many species  to adapt to.

- Humans survive best in a rapidly changing environment, unlike the majority of species on the planet.