Using a site in Northern California,you repeat Stiling and Drake's experiments in elevated and ambient CO₂ chambers,and achieve similar results.However,you notice that for one species of herbivore,the mortality rate from predators and parasitoids is equal in the elevated and ambient chambers,while the mortality rate due to nutritional inadequacy is higher in elevated chambers.The herbivore species in question is native to Asia and has only recently arrived in the United States.What is a likely explanation for your findings? A)The Asian herbivore does not take longer to complete development in elevated CO₂ chambers,so it is not subject to additional enemy attack. B)CO₂ becomes toxic to the Asian herbivore at the levels found in the elevated chambers. C)The Asian herbivore takes longer to complete development in the elevated chambers,but has very few natural enemies due to its foreign origin. D)Individuals of the Asian herbivore species thrive in the elevated CO₂ chamber,growing so large that natural enemies no longer attack them.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that the mortality rate from predators and parasitoids is equal in the elevated and ambient chambers suggests that there is no difference in enemy attack between the two environments. Therefore, the higher mortality rate due to nutritional inadequacy in elevated chambers must be due to some other factor. The fact that the Asian herbivore is a recent introduction to the United States suggests that it may have few natural enemies in its new environment, which could explain why predator and parasitoid attack rates are equal in both chamber types. However, this lack of natural enemies would not explain the higher mortality rate due to nutritional inadequacy in elevated chambers, which suggests that the Asian herbivore is struggling to adapt to the new conditions. Specifically, choice C suggests that the Asian herbivore takes longer to complete development in elevated chambers but has few natural enemies due to its foreign origin. This delayed development could increase mortality due to nutritional inadequacy, as the herbivore would need to survive longer under conditions of reduced food availability.

Using a Site in Northern California,you Repeat Stiling and Drake's