25
Mar
The only flowering plant species native to Antarctica, Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica, grow in places where the earth remains free of ice for much of the year. Botanist Nicoletta Cannone wondered how the warming of Antarctica’s climate in recent years had affected these species, so she visited a site in Antarctica, first in 2009 and later in 2018, to count the number of plants growing there. Cannone found that the area of land covered by the two species had significantly expanded during the nine-year period. While both species likely benefited from warming temperatures, Colobanthus quitensis ______.
| Species | Area covered in 2009 (in square meters) |
Area covered in 2018 (in square meters) |
Percent increase in area covered from 2009 to 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deschampsia antarctica | 1,230 | 1,576 | 28% |
| Colobanthus quitensis | 6.9 | 10.7 | 55% |
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the comparison?
