Read the Following Scenario and Answer the Question Below

question 31

Multiple Choice

Read the following scenario and answer the question below.
The western United States contains a series of tall mountain ranges that also extend far down into Mexico. The largest of these ranges are the Rockies and the Sierra Madres, but they are all part of the same mountain -building event that occurred many millions of years ago, and they all have similar features. However, the biodiversity of the southernmost mountains has more connection to that of Central America, while the biodiversity of the Rockies shares more affinity with temperate North American species. Still, much of the forest vegetation on these mountaintops is the same, or very similar, and they are often referred to as the ʺSky Islandsʺ because of their similarity to each other and their isolation from the lower, often drier, areas surrounding them. With global climate change producing increasingly visible effects, conservation biologists fear that these mountaintop ecosystems will undergo major changes in temperature and humidity and that the many endemic species that live there may literally have no place to go.
-If the Sky Islands become warmer and drier, the species that live at lower elevation will _____________.

• A) become extinct
• B) create a helpful buffer zone between themselves and the ʺsky islandʺ species
• C) move into and dominate the altered sky islands
• D) strengthen the biodiversity of the islands by adding many new species
• E) move even farther down the slopes

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Definitions:

Weakened Bones

A condition, often due to osteoporosis, where bones become fragile and more prone to fractures.

Cortisone

A steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex or synthetically, used medicinally to treat inflammation and adrenal insufficiency.

Cortisol

Glucocorticoid secreted by the adrenal cortex that responds to stress on a long-term basis; reduces inflammation and promotes protein and fat metabolism.

Adrenal Cortex

Outer portion of the adrenal gland; secretes mineralocorticoids, such as aldosterone, and glucocorticoids, such as cortisol.