The occurrence of dense aggregations of the fruit-bearing tree Brosimum alicastrum on or near Maya ruin complexes in Central Ame

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问题     The occurrence of dense aggregations of the fruit-bearing tree Brosimum alicastrum on or near Maya ruin complexes in Central America was initially interpreted as evidence of ancient Maya silviculture, i.e., the stands were relics of orchards planted by the Maya. Later work, however, suggested that the stands resulted from the Artibeus bats that roost among the ruins. The bats fly to the forest, collect the fruit, bring it back to their roost, eat the fruit, and then discard the undamaged seed. The continual input of bat-dispersed seed has maintained the clumps of B. alicastrum around ruins for many hundreds of years.
    This observation, however, does not negate the possibility that B. alicastrum was used and managed by the Maya. In fact, if we examine the behavior, rather than the density or location, of these tree populations, we are presented with strong evidence of deliberate genetic improvement. This is especially notable in the B. alicastrum trees that cluster around the Maya ruins at Tikal in Guatemala: these trees’ productivity is almost twice that of trees in Veracruz, Mexico, under almost identical environmental conditions.
The passage implies which of the following about the B. alicastrum trees observed at Tikal?

选项 A、They represent a strain that may have been brought to Tikal from Mexico.
B、They represent a strain that may have been bred by the Maya to increase its yield.
C、Their fruit is preferred by Artibeus bats to the fruit of other tree species.
D、They are more numerous around the ruins at Tikal than B. alicastrum trees are at other Maya sites.
E、Their seed is able to withstand damage that might otherwise prevent germination.

答案B

解析 根据原文,作者将季卡尔的面包树作为证据,说明玛雅人对面包树进行了基因改造,故选项B正确。
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本试题收录于: GRE VERBAL题库GRE分类
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