The Impact of Cyanobacteria

What organisms were responsible for the first mass extinction on Earth?

• Dinosaurs

• Cyanobacteria

• Mammals

• Anaerobic microbes

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NGSS.HS-LS4-5

What was Earth's atmosphere composed of before the advent of cyanobacteria?

• Mostly oxygen and nitrogen

• Mostly nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane

• Mostly hydrogen and helium

• Mostly oxygen and carbon dioxide

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NGSS.HS-LS2-5

What process allowed cyanobacteria to produce oxygen?

• Respiration

• Chemosynthesis

• Photosynthesis

• Fermentation

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What advantage did photosynthesis give to cyanobacteria?

• Ability to move to different environments

• Ability to survive without water

• Ability to produce their own energy from sunlight

• Resistance to high temperatures

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NGSS.HS-LS1-5

What was the primary consequence of cyanobacteria's photosynthesis?

• Increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide

• Decrease in atmospheric nitrogen

• Increase in atmospheric oxygen

• Decrease in atmospheric oxygen

What event is known for causing a mass extinction due to oxygen increase?

• Great Oxygenation Event

• Cambrian Explosion

• Permian-Triassic Extinction Event

• Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event

What did the extra oxygen in the atmosphere react with to cause cooling?

• Hydrogen

• Nitrogen

• Methane

• Carbon dioxide

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NGSS.HS-PS1-5

What was a significant effect of the Great Oxygenation Event?

• The formation of the ozone layer

• The start of the Huronian Glaciation

• The diversification of aquatic life

• The decrease of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

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What was the long-term outcome of the oxygen increase caused by cyanobacteria?

• Permanent ice age conditions

• Extinction of all life forms

• Development of aerobic organisms

• Decrease in Earth's overall temperature

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How did cyanobacteria contribute to the evolution of plant cells?

• By becoming the first plants

• Through mutation into plant cells

• By being engulfed in a process called endosymbiosis

• By pollinating early plants

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NGSS.HS-LS4-1

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