The desert tortoise digs a burrow and hides in it during the day to stay cool, because of the extreme heat aboveground. Which characteristic of life does this behavior best illustrate?

A.response
B.metabolism
C.cellular organization
D.growth and development
I thinks its B

Do not agree. The tortoise digs in response to the heat.

A. response

The behavior of the desert tortoise digging a burrow and hiding in it during the day to stay cool best illustrates the characteristic of life known as A. response.

Explanation:

Response is the ability of an organism to respond to its environment or to stimuli. In the case of the desert tortoise, the extreme heat aboveground acts as a stimulus that triggers the tortoise's response behavior of digging a burrow and hiding in it. This response helps the tortoise adapt to its environment and maintain its body temperature within a suitable range.

Metabolism, on the other hand, refers to the chemical processes that occur within an organism to maintain life. While metabolism certainly plays a role in the tortoise's ability to regulate its body temperature, it is not the most appropriate characteristic to describe the specific behavior of digging a burrow to stay cool.

Cellular organization is a fundamental characteristic of life and refers to the structural organization of living organisms from cells to tissues, organs, and systems. Growth and development, on the other hand, refers to the ability of an organism to grow and change over time. While these characteristics are important, they don't specifically capture the behavior of the desert tortoise seeking shelter in a burrow to escape the extreme heat.

Therefore, the most appropriate characteristic of life demonstrated by the desert tortoise's behavior is A. response.