Final answer:
It is true that plants in low-nutrient environments produce greater root systems to maximize nutrient and water uptake where resources are scarce. These plants may also form symbiotic relationships with soil microorganisms to help obtain essential nutrients, exemplifying various adaptation strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that plants growing in low-nutrient environments have greater root production than plants living in high-nutrient environments is TRUE. To cope with low-nutrient conditions, such as poor soil quality, plants often develop extensive and deep root systems to maximize nutrient uptake.
This is an adaptive strategy to ensure survival where soil nutrients are scarce. On the other hand, in high-nutrient environments, plants can afford to grow shallower roots since the necessary nutrients are readily available and can be taken up with less energy invested in root development.
Plant roots may enter symbiotic relationships with microorganisms like nitrogen-fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi to enhance nutrient acquisition in poor soils. This mutualistic relationship benefits the bacteria and fungi, which receive sugars from photosynthesis, and in turn, the plant gets help in obtaining nutrients like nitrogen and phosphate, which are critical to its growth.