Over the past 580 million years, biodiversity has

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The pattern of biodiversity over the past 580 million years is characterized by general increase, but with punctuations in the form of mass extinctions and diversifications. There have been five mass extinctions, and after each of them, biodiversity recovered but with different groups of species dominating. In the past hundred years or so, however, there has been a rapid decline in biodiversity due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change.

Over the Past 580 Million Years, Biodiversity Has