To prevent soil degradation in arid farmland, agricultural researchers propose planting salt-tolerant halophytes alongside commercial crops. Halophytes absorb excess sodium ions from topsoil, which the researchers claim will allow commercial crops to absorb soil nitrogen more efficiently and thereby increase overall crop yields within two growing seasons.
Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest support for the researchers' argument?
- AHalophytes consume substantial quantities of soil nitrogen during their growth cycle, reducing the net nitrogen available in the topsoil.
- BCommercial crops grown in non-arid climate zones typically produce significantly higher yields per hectare than those grown in arid regions.
- High concentrations of sodium ions in topsoil chemically inhibit the molecular channels that commercial crop roots use to absorb nitrogen.Cevap
- DChemical soil-desalination treatments cost far more to manufacture and apply than purchasing and planting halophyte seeds.
- EHalophytes harvested from coastal agricultural plots can be processed into commercial animal feed and biofuel products.
Cevap
High concentrations of sodium ions in topsoil chemically inhibit the molecular channels that commercial crop roots use to absorb nitrogen.
The correct answer supplies the underlying physiological mechanism required for the argument to hold. If topsoil sodium ions actively inhibit root channels responsible for nitrogen uptake, then reducing sodium via halophyte absorption removes this inhibition, directly enabling commercial crops to absorb nitrogen more effectively and boost yields.
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Strengthening Causal Arguments via Underlying Mechanism