The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment describes the following major categories of ecosystem servicesprovisioning, supporting, regulating, preserving and cultural. Which one of the following is supporting service?

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Q: 19 (IAS/2012)
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment describes the following major categories of ecosystem services—provisioning, supporting, regulating, preserving and cultural.
Which one of the following is supporting service?

question_subject: 

Ecology

question_exam: 

IAS

stats: 

0,165,257,54,59,165,144

keywords: 

{'millennium ecosystem assessment': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'ecosystem services': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'climate': [2, 0, 2, 2], 'major categories': [0, 0, 0, 2], 'service': [0, 0, 3, 12], 'nutrient cycling': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'crop pollination': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'diversity': [1, 0, 2, 3]}

The supporting service among the major categories of ecosystem services described by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is "Nutrient cycling and crop pollination".

Supporting services are those ecosystem services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. They include processes such as soil formation, nutrient cycling, primary production, and pollination. These processes provide the basic building blocks and energy needed to sustain the other categories of ecosystem services.

Therefore, nutrient cycling and crop pollination are examples of supporting services that help sustain other ecosystem services like food production and biodiversity.