Mass extinction events

Mass extinction events are periods in Earth's history when a significant number of species across different groups disappear in a relatively short geological time. These events often result from drastic environmental changes, such as climate shifts, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, or ocean changes, that disrupt ecosystems and make survival difficult for many organisms. As a result, the diversity of life dramatically decreases, and new species eventually evolve to fill the vacant ecological roles. Major mass extinctions, like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, have shaped the course of life's evolution and Earth's biological history.