Question

strap fronds could develop fertile spores. this suggests a division of labor between fronds that do and don’t form nests. 10 tests also revealed that nest fronds sop up more water than strap fronds do. earlier studies conducted by other scientists had found networks of roots running throughout the colony. using them, nest fronds can share their water, slaking the thirst of neighboring strap fronds. burns and his coworkers also analyzed the genes in 10 staghorn colonies on lord howe island. eight hosted genetically identical individuals, while only two colonies contained individuals whose genetics differed. such a high degree of genetic relatedness is seen in colonies of eusocial insects. in ants and bees, for instance, many sisters contribute to the survival of their home nest. burns thinks the staghorns’ newfound traits fulfill many of the requirements needed to support a claim that they, too, are eusocial. looking at epiphytes as eusocial is “really cool,” says michelle spicer, an ecologist at the university of puget sound in washington. to burns, the division of labor to build shared resources “appears to be a key question 18 what does “slaking” mean in paragraph 10? a. circulating b. prompting c. quenching d. sustaining

Explanation:

The context shows that nest fronds share water to relieve the thirst of neighboring strap - fronds. "Quenching" means satisfying a thirst.

Answer:

C. quenching