A Shift in Weather Patterns Causes a Drought

question 61

Multiple Choice

A shift in weather patterns causes a drought. The normally moist forest becomes dry, with the leaf litter on the forest floor blowing away in high winds. The creek, which normally overflows and floods the forest floor every time it rains, dries up. What would you expect to happen to the slime molds that live in the area?

• A) The slime mold would begin making red photosynthetic pigments.
• B) The slime mold would begin parasitizing humans.
• C) The plasmodium would expand and colonize the now- clean forest floor.
• D) The slime molds would shift from the plasmodium and form fruiting bodies.
• E) Dry conditions would encourage the slime mold to photosynthesize.

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Definitions:

Enzymatic Digestion

Enzymatic digestion involves the breakdown of food by enzymes into absorbable substances in the digestive system.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which serve as a major source of energy for living organisms.

Salivary Glands

Glands in the mouth that produce saliva, which begins the process of digestion and helps protect the mouth from pathogens.

Inactivation

A process by which a substance, cell activity, or biological pathway is made less active or deactivated.