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Difficulty: MediumRhetorical Synthesis: Supporting Claims

While preparing a presentation on forest ecology, a student takes the following notes:
* *Pando* is a clonal colony in Utah consisting of over 47,000 genetically identical quaking aspen trees.
* The trees in the colony are connected by a shared underground root system that sends up new shoots.
* In a 2018 study, ecologist Dr. Paul Rogers found that young shoots are being consumed by mule deer and elk before reaching maturity.
* The study noted that in areas protected by fences that exclude these herbivores, young shoots are successfully growing into mature trees.

The student wants to support the claim that herbivore grazing is preventing the clonal colony from regenerating. Which choice best uses information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

  1. A
    In his 2018 study, ecologist Dr. Paul Rogers confirmed that the mature trees in the clonal colony are dying of natural causes rather than from herbivore grazing.
  2. B
    Because a decline in natural predators has caused mule deer and elk populations to increase, their heavy grazing on young shoots is preventing *Pando* from regenerating.
  3. While young shoots are successfully growing into mature trees in areas protected by fences, those outside the fences are being consumed by mule deer and elk before they can reach maturity.Answer
  4. D
    *Pando* is a clonal colony in Utah that consists of over 47,000 genetically identical quaking aspen trees connected by a shared underground root system.

Answer

The option stating that young shoots grow into mature trees inside protected fences but are eaten by herbivores outside the fences.
The correct choice highlights that young shoots successfully grow into mature trees when protected by fences but are eaten by herbivores when unprotected. This directly supports the claim that herbivore grazing is preventing regeneration by drawing solely on the provided notes.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the student's rhetorical goal.
The goal is to support the claim that herbivore grazing is preventing the clonal colony from regenerating.
This sets the criteria for evaluating the choices based on the prompt's specific demand.
2
Evaluate the provided notes for evidence related to the claim.
The notes state that herbivores (mule deer and elk) consume young shoots, and that when fences exclude these herbivores, the shoots successfully grow into mature trees.
This identifies the facts necessary to build the supporting statement.
3
Analyze each option to see which one directly uses these facts to support the claim without adding outside assumptions.
The correct choice contrasts the fenced areas (where regeneration succeeds without herbivores) with the unfenced areas (where herbivores eat the shoots), showing that grazing indeed blocks regeneration.
This selects the option that fulfills the rhetorical goal using only the provided notes.

Key Concept

Rhetorical Synthesis: Supporting Claims
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Topics

Rhetorical Synthesis: Supporting Claims

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