Question

the mycellium network by nancy luzoro
(1) communication and collaboration are both an integral part of how humans, animals, and plants survive on the planet. (2) in fact, communication between organisms is imperative to the health and safety of any living thing. (3) like humans and animals, plants also communicate with each other, but until a few years ago, scientists werent sure exactly how plants communicated of what types of information they shared. (4) to answer these questions, scientists have been looking more closely at mycelium, a fungus that grows underground in the roots of trees and plants. (5) mycelium have been known to scientists for many decades and, until recently, their purpose was thought to be simple. (6) mycelium are thin fungal threads that attach to roots and provide nutrients like nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus to the plants. (7) mycelium create networks between plants and share information about possible threats, like disease. (8) mycelium can even help older, more established trees share resources with younger, struggling trees when necessary.
(9) yet, there may also be drawbacks to this fungal communication network. (10) scientists have started conducting studies that show that in addition to sharing nutrients, trees and plants may also attack their leafy neighbors with toxins. (11) nicolette henry studied marigold plants to see whether they shared toxins and concluded that they did. \in the plants with mycelium, the rate of contamination between roots was much higher than those plants without mycelium.\ (12) one reason for this could be that trees and plants often fight for resources like light, water, and space; by poisoning their neighbors, they keep more resources for themselves.
which heading best conveys the content of paragraph 3?
a. mycelium and nutrients
b. mycelium and drawbacks
c. mycelium and contamination
d. mycelium and toxins

Explanation:

Paragraph 3 starts by stating there may be drawbacks to the mycelium - fungal communication network. It then describes studies showing trees and plants may attack neighbors with toxins and that plants with mycelium have higher root - contamination rates, likely due to resource - fighting. So, the main idea is about the drawbacks related to mycelium.

Answer:

B. Mycelium and Drawbacks