Disintegration resulting from plants and animals.

Disintegration resulting from plants and animals.

• A. Biological Activity
• B. Chemical Weathering
• C. Hydration
• D. Oxidation

Answer: (A)

Biological activity explains disintegration caused by living things. Plants push their roots into cracks, wedging and prying rocks apart as they grow, while animals burrow and churn soils, physically breaking them down. Microorganisms and plant-produced chemicals can also create organic acids that chemically weather minerals, accelerating breakdown. This combination of physical disruption and chemical alteration driven by organisms is what biological activity covers. In contrast, chemical weathering refers to rock breakdown from chemical reactions with water, acids, or oxygen (not directly tied to living processes). Hydration is a chemical swelling of minerals as they take up water, and oxidation is a chemical reaction with oxygen forming oxides. Those processes describe non-biological chemical changes, not disintegration caused by plants and animals.

Biological activity explains disintegration caused by living things. Plants push their roots into cracks, wedging and prying rocks apart as they grow, while animals burrow and churn soils, physically breaking them down. Microorganisms and plant-produced chemicals can also create organic acids that chemically weather minerals, accelerating breakdown. This combination of physical disruption and chemical alteration driven by organisms is what biological activity covers.

In contrast, chemical weathering refers to rock breakdown from chemical reactions with water, acids, or oxygen (not directly tied to living processes). Hydration is a chemical swelling of minerals as they take up water, and oxidation is a chemical reaction with oxygen forming oxides. Those processes describe non-biological chemical changes, not disintegration caused by plants and animals.