Assessment Questions 7.18

1. What significant discovery did Jacquelyn Gill and her colleagues make concerning the decline of a fungus—Sporomiella?

The fungus Sporomiella, thriving on herbivore dung, declined around 14,800 years ago, indicating a massive die-off of herbivores.

2. Why does the decline of Sporomiella not align with climate change according to the passage?

The decline in Sporomiella happened a couple of thousand years before dramatic climate change, suggesting a link to human activity rather than climate change.

3. What is the conclusion drawn from recent examination of paleoclimatological data, DNA, and radiocarbon dates regarding the extinction of megafauna in North America?

The most likely explanation is that large mammal species experienced extreme environmental stress due to climate change, making them equivalent to modern endangered species. Human hunting acted as a contributing factor, pushing them into extinction.