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ID: 95850 • Letter: H
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home / study / science / biology / questions and answers / suppose that you are a scientist comparing the ... Question: Suppose that you are a scientist comparing the ene... Suppose that you are a scientist comparing the energy that orchids use for developing flowers to the energy that orchids use to produce nectar. Your research produces the following hypothetical graph. These data make you curious if orchids that allocate less energy to producing nectar (and therefore produce less nectar) reproduce less frequently. Which of the following might be your hypothesis? (Select all that apply.) Picture If orchids that produce less nectar do not reproduce, then we have proven the importance of high nectar production. If orchids produce less nectar, then moths will not like them as much and the orchids will be less likely to reproduce. If orchids produce less nectar, then their moth pollinators will not visit them as often.
Explanation / Answer
From an evolutionary perspective, the sexual strategy is a bit puzzling. Orchids that offer nectar or mimic food can attract a wide variety of food-seeking pollinators- bees,wasps,flies,ants and so on. But sexual displays are only attractive to the males of a single species- a flower that looks like a female wasp is only going to attract male wasps, not other insects. So in appealing to sex, these orchids limit their potential pollinators, which would seem to be a reproductive disadvantage.
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