Question

often, people use land inappropriately—for example, by removing vegetation from hillsides or plowing fields parallel to a hillside. this type of land use most contributes to which kind of change? a decrease in the amount of toxins in the soil an increase in erosion an increase in the weathering of the landscape a decrease in total water runoff

Explanation:

• Vegetation helps hold soil in place. Removing it makes soil more vulnerable to being carried away.
• Plowing fields parallel to a hillside (instead of contour - plowing) can create channels for water to flow, increasing soil displacement.
• Erosion is the process of soil being worn away and moved. So, these land - use practices contribute to increased erosion.
• Decreasing toxins in soil is not related to these practices. Weathering is a different geological process (breakdown of rocks, etc., not mainly about soil movement). And removing vegetation and improper plowing would likely increase, not decrease, water runoff as there is less to absorb and slow the water.

Answer:

an increase in erosion