SPOTLIGHT IN THE WILD

The background rate of extinction has been interrupted periodically in Earth's history by episodes of mass extinction, periods in which a large percentage of the existing species become extinct in a geologically short amount of time.

Mass extinction episodes represent major collapses of biodiversity and ecosystems, and they lead to fundamental changes in the make-up and distribution of life on Earth. The species that are most likely to survive mass extinctions are widespread generalists such as cockroaches and weeds. Spotlight on Extinction »