Digital SAT Reading and Writing Practice Question #661

Recent laboratory studies of the *Lumbricus rubellus* earthworm suggest that certain physiological adaptations to heavy metal soil toxicity can be passed down to offspring epigenetically, via small RNA molecules, without altering the underlying DNA sequence. Researchers argue this mechanism allows populations to adapt to rapid environmental changes significantly faster than natural selection on random genetic mutations would historically permit. However, a separate team of field ecologists has recently conducted a comprehensive genomic survey of *L. rubellus* populations thriving in highly contaminated industrial zones. Based on the texts, how would the field ecologists most likely respond to the laboratory researchers' argument?