Ethylene is an organic compound produced by ripening fruits. In a controlled experiment, researchers found that ethylene gas stimulated the ripening process in newly harvested fruits. What describes the most likely connection between natural ethylene production and fruit ripening?

Ethylene is a gaseous hormone in plants, it is a fruit ripening hormone.

Explanation:

Ethylene is a chemical signal through which ripening fruits trigger the ripening process in fruits, Studies on components of ethylene signaling have shown a linear transduction pathway leading to the activation of ethylene response factors. However, the whole pathway by which ethylene selects the ripening-related genes and interacts with other signaling pathways to regulate the ripening process still not yet fully known. Most fruits produce ethylene that starts the ripening process. Its level in under-ripe fruit is very low, but as fruit develop, the production of ethylene become larger that speed up the ripening process of fruit.