When favorable environmental conditions trigger population blooms in the Wadden Sea intertidal zone, the single-celled foraminifer Ammonia confertitesta reaches exceptionally high densities of over 400 individuals per cubic centimeter in surface sediments. Each organism stores approximately 413 picomoles of phosphate internally. Scientists calculated that across the entire Wadden Sea coastal area (11,500 square kilometers), this one species collectively holds about 1,880 tons of phosphate in the top centimeter of sediment—roughly 5% of Germany’s yearly phosphorous fertilizer usage. Similar measurements from other regions show comparable storage by various foraminifera species.
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Verbal·Craft and Structure·Text Structure and Purpose
mediumWhich choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
A
It notes the extent of A. confertitesta’s phosphate storage to highlight the importance of the Wadden Sea intertidal zone in meeting Germany’s phosphorous needs.
B
It quantifies phosphate storage by A. confertitesta in the Wadden Sea intertidal zone to emphasize that the species has an exceptionally high impact for a foraminifer.
C
It offers a relative percentage to help convey the density of A. confertitesta in the Wadden Sea intertidal zone during population blooms.
D
It introduces a point of comparison to illustrate the scale of the phosphate storage by A. confertitesta in the Wadden Sea intertidal zone.