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Information and Ideas / Inferences Difficulty: Hard

The Mammillaria cactus M. boolii occurs naturally only in the state of Sonora in Mexico, and the smallness of its range makes it especially vulnerable to extinction. The traditional single-species approach to conservation emphasizes the need to focus on individual species most at risk, like M. boolii, but recently, conservationists have argued that an ecosystem-based approach that incorporates the many interactions between the climate, terrain, and various species of a given geographical area may lead to better outcomes for all the species in a given location. If this view is correct, the single-species approach to the conservation of M. boolii could thus blank

Which choice most logically completes the text?

lead to a better understanding of how the distribution of Mammillaria species throughout Mexico has affected their survival.

allow conservationists to better consider how climatic changes affecting Sonora may reduce the number of species competing with M. boolii.

erroneously shift the focus of conservation efforts away from M. boolii itself.

fail to consider the ways in which the survival of M. boolii may be influenced by changes in the populations of other species that inhabit Sonora.

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Explanation

Choice D is the best answer because it most logically completes the text’s discussion of conservation approaches for the Mammillaria cactus M. boolii. The text establishes that M. boolii only grows naturally in the state of Sonora in Mexico, which makes it particularly vulnerable to extinction. The text then contrasts two approaches to conservation: the traditional single-species approach that individually focuses on at-risk species and a newer ecosystem-based approach that considers the interactions between climate, terrain, and various species in a geographical area. According to the text, conservationists have recently argued that this ecosystem-based approach may lead to better outcomes for all species in a location. If this ecosystem view is correct, then the single-species approach to conserving M. boolii would likely fail to consider how the cactus’s survival depends on its interactions with other species in Sonora’s ecosystem.

Choice A is incorrect because the text doesn’t address the distribution of Mammillaria species besides M. boolii throughout Mexico or discuss how that distribution affects survival. The text focuses specifically on M. boolii in Sonora and different approaches to its conservation. Choice B is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that climatic changes in Sonora would reduce competition for M. boolii or that conservation efforts are focused on understanding this specific dynamic. In fact, the text implies that an ecosystem-based approach would consider climate among many other factors but doesn’t specify how climatic changes might affect competition between species. Choice C is incorrect because the text doesn’t suggest that the single-species approach would shift the focus of conservation efforts away from M. boolii itself—rather, it suggests that this approach might be too narrowly focused on M. boolii alone without considering the broader ecosystem-related factors that affect its survival.