Question
Many medications that are used by humans are made from plants found in tropical rainforests. Many of these tropical rainforests are currently being impacted by clearcutting, which is the practice of cutting down all of the trees and other vegetation in an area. Which of the following is the most likely result of clearcutting in tropical rainforests?
A.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to decrease, but it increases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
B.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to increase, which increases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
C.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to increase, but it decreases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
D.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to decrease, which decreases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
A.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to decrease, but it increases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
B.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to increase, which increases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
C.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to increase, but it decreases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
D.
It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to decrease, which decreases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The most likely result of clearcutting in tropical rainforests among the provided options is:
**D. It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to decrease, which decreases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.**
Clearcutting typically leads to habitat destruction and loss of species, which in turn reduces biodiversity. With fewer plant species, there are fewer potential sources for new medications derived from these plants.
**D. It causes the overall biodiversity of the area to decrease, which decreases the plants available for humans to use to make medications.**
Clearcutting typically leads to habitat destruction and loss of species, which in turn reduces biodiversity. With fewer plant species, there are fewer potential sources for new medications derived from these plants.