Question

mass extinctions differ from background extinctions because they:

are due to extreme and sudden environmental change.

result from invasive, rapidly evolving microbial species.

tend to be a consequence of a species biology.

tend to happen to species that can fly, rather than to terrestrial or marine species.

are caused by human activities.

Explanation:

Mass extinctions are large - scale, sudden events that wipe out a significant proportion of species on Earth. They are typically due to extreme and sudden environmental changes such as asteroid impacts (e.g., the event that likely caused the extinction of non - avian dinosaurs), massive volcanic eruptions (like the Siberian Traps eruptions which may have contributed to the Permian - Triassic extinction). Background extinctions, on the other hand, are more gradual and continuous, often due to factors like competition, predation, and slower - changing environmental conditions.

Answer:

are due to extreme and sudden environmental change.