Question

The main difference between the 'Sixth extinction' and the previous five extinctions is that, the sixth extinction
A. Mainly affects plants
B. Mainly occurs on islands
C. Occurs at a faster rate
D. Is exclusive of human activities

Answer 1

Hint:
The extinction is considered to be the termination of the last individual of the species because the capacity to breed and recover has been lost.
The earth has already suffered five extinctions before humans; the sixth extinction is happening now.

Complete answer:
The earth is suffering yet another extinction from the last 10,000 years that is rapidly wiping out species from the planet. The population of vertebrates has declined by an average of 68% and more than 35,000 species are under the threat of extinction. This large-scale loss of species has been witnessed even before the arrival of humans. In the last 3 billion years since the origin of earth and diversification, the planet has suffered five episodes of mass extinction, the global and major being the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Currently, the sixth episode of mass extinction is under progress. The main difference between the previous episodes of extinction and the sixth extinction is the speed at which these extinctions are occurring. Fossil fuels tell us how long a species can naturally survive before becoming extinct without the intervention of humans. One species in every one million species can be extinct without the intervention of humans. This is referred to as the background rate. Now, when human activities greatly affect biodiversity and are the major cause of biodiversity loss, the actual background rate is hundreds to thousands of times higher than in pre-human times, which means that species are becoming extinct at a faster rate in the sixth episode of mass extinction.

Option ‘C’ is correct

Note:
Ecologists have predicted that if the current rate of extinction continues, nearly half of all the species will be wiped out of the planet in the next 100 years. The main cause of biodiversity loss can be habitat loss, overexploitation, alien species invasion and co-extinction.