|Question 13Verbal

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Some metals contain tungsten carbide nanoparticles (WC-NPs), which can leach into waterways and soils via wastewater. In a 2018 study, Mikael T. Ekvall and colleagues found that WC-NPs can accumulate in the bodies of water lice (_Asellus aquaticus_). While bioaccumulation of manufactured nanoparticles may be inherently worrisome, it has been hypothesized that WC-NP bioaccumulation in invertebrates like _A. aquaticus_ could serve a valuable proxy role, obviating the need for manufacturers to conduct costly and intrusive sampling of vertebrate species—such as Perez's frogs (_Pelophylax perezi_), commonly used in regulatory compliance testing—for nanoparticle bioaccumulation, as environmental protection laws currently require.
Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the hypothesis presented in the text?
Compared with P. perezi, A. aquaticus can accumulate detectable WC-NP concentrations with significantly fewer negative effects.
A
The rate of WC-NP uptake in A. aquaticus differs from the rate of WC-NP uptake in P. perezi in a way that is not yet well understood by researchers.
B
A. aquaticus has been shown to accumulate several other types of manufactured nanoparticles in addition to WC-NPs, whereas P. perezi has been shown to accumulate only WC-NPs.
C
When A. aquaticus and P. perezi are exposed to similar levels of WC-NPs, concentrations of WC-NPs in animals of both species show little variation from individual to individual.
D