The Brazil Nut Tree, Bertholletia Excels (N = 17), Is

The Brazil nut tree, Bertholletia excels (n = 17) , is native to tropical rain forests of South America. It is a hardwood tree that can grow to over 50 metres tall, a source of high-quality timber, and a favourite nesting site for harpy eagles. As the rainy season ends, tough-walled fruits, each containing 8-25 seeds (Brazil nuts) , fall to the forest floor. Brazil nuts are composed primarily of endosperm. About $50 million worth of nuts are harvested each year. Scientists have discovered that the pale yellow flowers of Brazil nut trees cannot fertilise themselves and admit only female orchid bees as pollinators. The agouti (Dasyprocta spp.) , a cat-sized rodent, is the only animal with teeth strong enough to crack the hard wall of Brazil nut fruits. It typically eats some of the seeds, buries others, and leaves still others inside the fruit, which moisture can then enter and allow the remaining seeds to germinate.
-Native peoples traditionally use Brazil nuts to treat stomach ache, inflammation, hypersensitivity, and hepatitis. Consequently, a scientist should be interested in promoting ________.

A) better education for the native peoples so that they will overcome their old ways
B) clear-cutting forests containing Brazil nut trees to make way for crops with proven medical benefits
C) an increase in the living standards of the native peoples so that they might be able to purchase modern pharmaceuticals
D) the evaluation of Brazil nut chemicals for use as potential drugs

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