Question

similar to how snow falls from above on a winters day, marine snow falls from the oceans sunlit surface waters to animals at the deepest depths of the worlds oceans. marine snow is composed of organic material, such as decaying plant and animal matter, and of inorganic material, such as sand and soot. national oceanic and atmospheric administration scientists have studied the composition of the marine \snowflakes\ and found them to have high carbon content. without the light necessary for organisms that use photosynthesis to produce their own food, the oceans bottom - dwelling scavengers eagerly devour this carbon - rich material from above for their sustenance—provided the flakes do not break apart or are not consumed by organisms at a shallower depth. based on the passage, marine snow is a good source of food for creatures at or near the oceans floor because these organisms a can only eat inorganic material. b cannot consume decaying matter. c cannot produce their own food there. d can only consume small particles of food.

Explanation:

The passage states that without light (which is necessary for photosynthesis to produce food), bottom - dwelling organisms rely on marine snow. This implies they can't produce their own food. Option A is wrong as marine snow has organic material. Option B is incorrect because marine snow has decaying matter. Option D is not supported by the text. So, the correct answer is C.

Answer:

C. cannot produce their own food there.