Question

to understand how temperature change affects microorganism - mediated cycling of soil nutrients in alpine ecosystems, iva kalivodová et al. collected plant - soil cores in the tatra mountains at elevations around 2,100 meters and transplanted them to elevations of 1,700 - 1,800 meters, where the mean air temperature was warmer by 2℃. microorganism - mediated nutrient cycling was accelerated in the transplanted cores; crucially, microorganism community composition was unchanged, allowing kalivodová et al. to attribute the acceleration to temperature - induced increases in microorganism activity. it can most reasonably be inferred from the text that the finding about the microorganism community composition was important for which reason? a it provided preliminary evidence that microorganism - mediated nutrient cycling was accelerated in the transplanted cores. b it suggested that temperature - induced changes in microorganism activity may be occurring at increasingly high elevations. c it ruled out a potential alternative explanation for the acceleration in microorganism - mediated nutrient cycling. d it clarified that microorganism activity levels in the plant - soil cores varied depending on which microorganisms comprised the community.

Explanation:

The study aimed to understand how temperature affects microorganism - mediated nutrient cycling. Since the microorganism community composition was unchanged while nutrient cycling was accelerated in the transplanted cores, it rules out the possibility that changes in community composition were responsible for the acceleration. This rules out a potential alternative explanation for the acceleration in microorganism - mediated nutrient cycling.

Answer:

C. It ruled out a potential alternative explanation for the acceleration in microorganism - mediated nutrient cycling.