|Question 11Verbal

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The fecal-steroidal profile of moose is clearly distinct from those of other ungulates. By contrast, bison dung cannot be distinguished from elk dung based solely on their fecal-steroidal profiles, as both contain similar levels of beta-sitosterol and cholestanone, among other sterols. The relative levels of fecal zoostanols (steroids with animal origins), such as coprostanol and epi-coprostanol, in layers of lake bed sediments at Buffalo Ford Lake in Yellowstone National Park show that bison, elk, or both have been the dominant ungulate species in the lake's watershed for at least the last 2,000 years.
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined portion in the text as a whole?
It presents an observation that supports an argument about why the dominant ungulate species in the Buffalo Ford Lake watershed shifted over the course of the last 2,000 years.
A
It describes an assumption about two types of ungulates' fecal-steroidal profiles that the research on Buffalo Ford Lake sediment calls into question.
B
It provides information that explains why the data from Buffalo Ford Lake allow for multiple possibilities regarding the dominant ungulate species in the watershed.
C
It offers context that helps account for the finding that the dominant ungulate species in the Buffalo Ford Lakeе watershed have been largely unchanged for at least 2,000 years.
D