Treehoppers (a type of insect) produce honeydew, which ants use for food. Treehoppers have a major predator, the jumping spider. Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders. In an experiment, researchers followed study plots with ants removed from the system and compared them to a control plot. In the figure shown, what can you conclude?
A) Ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders.
B) Ants eat the honeydew produced by treehoppers.
C) Ants reduce the numbers of treehoppers.
D) No specific conclusions can be drawn from this figure.
E) Treehoppers do not produce honeydew in July and are not protected by the ants.

Question

Treehoppers (a type of insect) produce honeydew, which ants use for food. Treehoppers have a major predator, the jumping spider. Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders. In an experiment, researchers followed study plots with ants removed from the system and compared them to a control plot. In the figure shown, what can you conclude?
A) Ants do somehow protect the treehoppers from spiders. 
B) Ants eat the honeydew produced by treehoppers. 
C) Ants reduce the numbers of treehoppers. 
D) No specific conclusions can be drawn from this figure. 
E) Treehoppers do not produce honeydew in July and are not protected by the ants.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The figure shows that the number of treehoppers is higher in the plot with ants present compared to the plot without ants. This suggests that the presence of ants somehow protects the treehoppers from predators like jumping spiders.

Treehoppers (A Type of Insect) Produce Honeydew, Which Ants Use