GCSE Geography | Causes of Extinctions such as a Mass Event

Geography Quiz - Extinctions (Questions)

This GCSE Geography quiz explores extinctions, examining natural causes and human impacts, and how protecting habitats can help conserve endangered species around the world.

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Fascinating Fact:

Other human causes include pollution, overfishing, hunting, and the introduction of invasive species that outcompete or prey on native wildlife.

In GCSE Geography, you study how extinctions link to habitat loss, climate change and human activity. You also explore why biodiversity matters and how conservation strategies can protect vulnerable species.

Key Terms

Extinction: When a species completely dies out and no individuals remain alive anywhere on Earth.
Endangered species: A species at high risk of becoming extinct in the near future if threats continue.
Biodiversity: The variety of different species, genes and ecosystems in a particular area or on the whole planet.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is extinction in GCSE Geography?

In GCSE Geography, extinction is the permanent loss of a species. It happens when the last individual dies, often because of habitat loss, climate change or other environmental pressures.

What are the main human causes of extinction?

Major human causes of extinction include destroying habitats for farming or cities, overfishing, overhunting, pollution and introducing invasive species that compete with or prey on native wildlife.

How does Geography help us understand extinctions?

Geography helps us map where species live, study changing environments and analyse human land use. This shows how activities such as deforestation and urban growth increase the risk of extinction.

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Why did the early human ancestor species Homo erectus become extinct?

[ ]	Homo erectus was outcompeted by the more aggressive Homo neanderthalensis
[ ]	The ice age was too harsh for Homo erectus to survive
[ ]	Homo erectus evolved into a different species
[ ]	An outbreak of disease reduced the Homo erectus population to below functional numbers

The dodo was a large flightless bird that lived on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Shortly after the arrival of the Dutch to the island in 1638 the Dodo became extinct. Which of the following is not a reason they became extinct?

[ ]	Dodos were hunted as a food source
[ ]	Pig, rats and cats ate the dodos' eggs
[ ]	Climate change affected the dodos' habitat
[ ]	Dodos had no fear of humans or other predators

Which of the following is a type of evidence used to show mass extinctions in the past?

[ ]	Written records
[ ]	Fossil record
[ ]	Ice cores
[ ]	Soil samples

How does evolution allow species to keep ahead of gradual climate change?

[ ]	Adaptation at each generation allows them to make small gradual changes to keep up with climate change
[ ]	The change in temperature will influence predator and prey equally
[ ]	The change in the species will occur ahead of the change in the climate
[ ]	Adaptation will occur to all the members of the species equally allowing them all to survive

Why might a new predator entering an area lead to extinctions?

[ ]	The new predator will be looking for novel foods
[ ]	A predator moving into a new area will kill off all the other predators in the area
[ ]	New predators will encourage other predators to hunt in case they consume all the food resources
[ ]	Native prey have no awareness or defences against the new threat

Which of the following is not a possible reason for a single mass extinction event?

[ ]	Erupting volcanos
[ ]	Over hunting
[ ]	An ice age
[ ]	Asteroid impact

What is speciation?

[ ]	The destruction of a species
[ ]	The evolution of a new species
[ ]	Where a species splits into two or more sub-groups
[ ]	The localisation and specialisation of a species

Passenger pigeons are an example of an extinct species. As a key part of the North American ecosystem they are a candidate for de-extinction. What is this process?

[ ]	Genetically modifying an unrelated species to resemble an extinct species
[ ]	Replacing the extinct species with another similar species
[ ]	Removing some predators from the food chain to balance the loss of the extinct species
[ ]	Cloning the species from the DNA of preserved specimens

Which of the following is not a reason some people argue we shouldn't bring species like the woolly mammoth back from extinction?

[ ]	There aren't enough mammoth carcasses to recover DNA
[ ]	Their habitat has changed and the mammoths will struggle to cope with global warming
[ ]	There is no species large enough to carry a wooly mammoth foetus to term
[ ]	Extinct animals are meant to be gone forever

10.

Which of the following is not commonly a reason for a species to go extinct?

[ ]	New predators moving into or being introduced into an area
[ ]	New disease is introduced to a population
[ ]	Random mutation in DNA
[ ]	Habitat loss and destruction

Geography Quiz - Extinctions (Answers)

Why did the early human ancestor species Homo erectus become extinct?

[ ]	Homo erectus was outcompeted by the more aggressive Homo neanderthalensis
[ ]	The ice age was too harsh for Homo erectus to survive
[x]	Homo erectus evolved into a different species
[ ]	An outbreak of disease reduced the Homo erectus population to below functional numbers

Home erectus are our ancestors - they are believed to have evolved into the next step on our family tree

[ ]	Dodos were hunted as a food source
[ ]	Pig, rats and cats ate the dodos' eggs
[x]	Climate change affected the dodos' habitat
[ ]	Dodos had no fear of humans or other predators

Other ground-dwelling birds on islands have suffered from the introduction of new predators by humans. On some UK islands rats have been eradicated to help puffins and other birds thrive as the rats eat the birds eggs and their young

Which of the following is a type of evidence used to show mass extinctions in the past?

[ ]	Written records
[x]	Fossil record
[ ]	Ice cores
[ ]	Soil samples

The fossil record can show when large numbers of species vanished

How does evolution allow species to keep ahead of gradual climate change?

[x]	Adaptation at each generation allows them to make small gradual changes to keep up with climate change
[ ]	The change in temperature will influence predator and prey equally
[ ]	The change in the species will occur ahead of the change in the climate
[ ]	Adaptation will occur to all the members of the species equally allowing them all to survive

One key point of the theory of evolution is that, for a species to adapt many more have to be born than will survive, allowing the best adapted to survive the changes. If a species is already under pressure, or under multiple pressures, climate change may be the final straw for that species

Why might a new predator entering an area lead to extinctions?

[ ]	The new predator will be looking for novel foods
[ ]	A predator moving into a new area will kill off all the other predators in the area
[ ]	New predators will encourage other predators to hunt in case they consume all the food resources
[x]	Native prey have no awareness or defences against the new threat

When humans arrived on various islands the animals living there had no fear of them and so could be rapidly hunted to extinction

Which of the following is not a possible reason for a single mass extinction event?

[ ]	Erupting volcanos
[x]	Over hunting
[ ]	An ice age
[ ]	Asteroid impact

Hunting normally impacts on a limited number of individuals and species in a particular area. A single global event affects a significant percentage of the world's species

What is speciation?

[ ]	The destruction of a species
[x]	The evolution of a new species
[ ]	Where a species splits into two or more sub-groups
[ ]	The localisation and specialisation of a species

Speciation occurs when adaptations allow ecologically successful individuals to survive and breed, passing on characteristics not seen before in the species

Passenger pigeons are an example of an extinct species. As a key part of the North American ecosystem they are a candidate for de-extinction. What is this process?

[ ]	Genetically modifying an unrelated species to resemble an extinct species
[ ]	Replacing the extinct species with another similar species
[ ]	Removing some predators from the food chain to balance the loss of the extinct species
[x]	Cloning the species from the DNA of preserved specimens

In 1866, one flock of passenger pigeons measured a mile wide and 3.5 miles long, and contained an estimated 3.5 billion birds. The last individual died in 1914. Scientists will need to make thousands of individual birds before the population can be self-sustaining. These will need to be raised by other pigeon species, meaning they may act differently to the original species

Which of the following is not a reason some people argue we shouldn't bring species like the woolly mammoth back from extinction?

[ ]	There aren't enough mammoth carcasses to recover DNA
[ ]	Their habitat has changed and the mammoths will struggle to cope with global warming
[ ]	There is no species large enough to carry a wooly mammoth foetus to term
[x]	Extinct animals are meant to be gone forever

Numerous species are candidates for de-extinction. A Pyrenean ibex kid was born in 2003 but died 7 minutes after its birth due to a lung defect. The last Pyrenean ibex had died in 2000 after being crushed by a falling tree

10.

Which of the following is not commonly a reason for a species to go extinct?

[ ]	New predators moving into or being introduced into an area
[ ]	New disease is introduced to a population
[x]	Random mutation in DNA
[ ]	Habitat loss and destruction

Mutation commonly occurs in a limited number of individuals rather than an entire species at once. If the mutation gives rise to a useful adaptation, it is more likely to be passed on to future generations as the individuals are more likely to survive longer and breed successfully

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Geography Quiz - Extinctions (Questions)

Fascinating Fact:

Key Terms

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

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