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Verbal·Expression of Ideas·Rhetorical Synthesis
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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
  • In the 1970s, a team of oceanographers exploring the Pacific Ocean floor off the coast of the Galapagos Islands discovered an unusual ecosystem in a place where they expected to find little, if any, life.
  • They found a collection of organisms, including giant tube worms and ghost-like fish, living in the absence of sunlight around hydrothermal vents, which are fissures in the ocean floor that release hot, mineral-rich water.
  • This ecosystem relies on a process called chemosynthesis, in which bacteria convert the chemicals from the hydrothermal vents into food.
  • This process supports a vibrant food web that includes the giant tube worms, which host the chemosynthetic bacteria and are eaten by the ghost-like fish, among other organisms.
The student wants to write a paragraph that focuses on the role of chemosynthesis in the ecosystem described in the notes. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A
In the 1970s, oceanographers discovered an unusual ecosystem on the Pacific Ocean floor that includes giant tube worms and ghost-like fish living around hydrothermal vents.
B
Chemosynthesis is a process that supports a vibrant food web, including giant tube worms and the ghost-like fish that eat them.
C
In an ecosystem on the Pacific Ocean floor, chemosynthesis is a process in which bacteria convert chemicals from hydrothermal vents into food, which in turn supports a vibrant food web.
D
An ecosystem on the Pacific Ocean floor is home to a variety of organisms, including giant tube worms and ghost-like fish, and relies on a process called chemosynthesis.