|Question 13Verbal

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A soil's microbial community (the microbial taxa present in their relative abundances) is known to affect plants' nutrient acquisition. Corrine Walsh and colleagues hypothesized that microbial communities could also affect plants' flavor chemistry, including volatiles and secondary metabolites like glucosinolates. Recognizing that soil moisture varies by location in the wild and could influence plants' chemistry, Walsh et al. introduced distinct microbial communities to individually potted mustard plants (Brassica juncea) growing in a controlled environment, then measured the plants' glucosinolates, like 3-methylthiopropyl and allyl (the most prominent), that create the spicy and bitter flavors in mustard. This method thus enabled the researchers to ______
Which choice most logically completes the text?
distinguish variations in glucosinolates due to differences in microbial communities from those that in a natural setting may be due to differences in soil moisture.
A
disentangle the influence of microbial communities on soil moisture from their influence on glucosinolate content in the plants.
B
demonstrate that differences in plants' flavor chemistry result from differences in the level of glucosinolates regardless of the soil moisture.
C
re-create the conditions of studies conducted in the wild that found links between soil microbial communities and levels of 3-methylthiopropyl in mustard plants.
D