A team of researchers proposes that some plants benefit from fungal partners in their roots not only by gaining nutrients but also by receiving warning signals about insect attacks on neighboring plants connected by the same fungal network.
Which experimental finding, if true, would most strongly support the team's proposal?
- A
Plants have many ways to defend against insects.
- B
Some fungi grow extensively underground.
- Ccheck_circle
Plants connected to attacked plants through shared fungal networks ramped up their defenses, while equally close, non-connected plants did not.
- D
Fungi associated with plant roots can be observed under a microscope.
Explanation
A controls for proximity and isolates fungal connection as the variable that triggers defenses, supporting the warning-signal proposal. B, C, and D are general background.