It can be inferred from the passage that destruction of Gulf of Guinea mangroves would likely:
The estuarine mangrove forests of the Gulf of Guinea, spanning coastal Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon, provide indispensable ecosystem services that protect littoral populations against catastrophic climatic shocks. Mangrove root matrices, comprising subterranean prop roots and aerial pneumatophores, act as natural hydrodynamic baffles that attenuate incoming storm surges and dissipate tidal wave energy. Also, these saline intertidal wetlands serve as critical nurseries for over eighty percent of commercial pelagic fish species, providing juvenile fry with shelter from apex oceanic predators. Despite their ecological paramountcy, coastal mangroves have declined drastically due to unregulated charcoal harvesting and urban shoreline dredging, threatening both artisanal fisheries and coastal geomorphic stability.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Depress artisanal fishing harvests and heighten coastal vulnerability to flooding.
- Step 1: Synthesize the two core ecosystem services described in the passage: mangroves dissipate wave energy/attenuate storm surges (protecting coastal geomorphic stability and populations) and nurture >80% of commercial fish species.
- Step 2: Deduce the logical consequence of destroying these wetlands: losing the nurseries leads to lower fish populations (depressing artisanal fisheries), and losing the hydrodynamic baffles leaves coastal communities vulnerable to storm surges and flooding.
Answer
Depress artisanal fishing harvests and heighten coastal vulnerability to flooding.
Why not the others: Improve the natural water clarity of offshore coral reefs is contradicted because mangrove destruction increases sediment runoff into reefs; Completely eradicate all pelagic shark species within months is an unwarranted hyperbole that exaggerates the impact beyond scientific reality; Increase agricultural crop yields on adjacent inland soils is unsupported because mangrove loss increases saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion.
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