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In the late nineteenth century, the highly esteemed Italian botanist Arcangeli made a claim that at that time was considered "unbelievable" but that has been verified by subsequent research. It concerned the curious little arum lily Arisarum proboscideum, known as the mousetail plant. Its flower cluster develops inside a cylindrical, vertical chamber whose upper part is bent over and ends in a dark-colored, slender, drawn-out, and curved tip, the "mousetail." The chamber is completely closed except for an elliptical window that faces earthward.
A small flying insect, coming up from the forest floor and entering the chamber through the window, is immediately confronted by the flower cluster's appendix—a structure that extends into the bent part, well above the flowers that make up the cluster. In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom. Arcangeli claimed that the plant's pollinators were fungus gnats—insects that normally breed in decaying mushrooms. The mousetail plant fools them so successfully that the females deposit their eggs—which will not be able to survive—on the appendix. Before the gnats can find their way out of the chamber, they also accidentally contact the flowers, transferring pollen.
Fungus mimicry turns out to be a fairly widespread pollination strategy. Most of the fungus mimics are forest dwellers, which remain close to the ground and produce dark purple or brown flowers with pale or translucent patterns. To the human nose at least they are either scentless or musky in odor. Usually the flowers are simple urn- or kettleshaped traps containing structures that closely resemble the gills or pores of mushrooms. Another element in their fungus mimicry is their exudation of moisture during the period when the flower is active. Fungus gnats of both sexes are involved in the pollination and are misled by a combination of fungus-like features—odor, color, shape, texture, and humidity.
The passage most strongly supports which of the following inferences about flower- cluster appendixes?
Arcangeli did not hypothesize that they might play a role in attracting fungus gnats to Arisarum proboscideum.
In some species of arum lilies, their texture does not mimic that of the undersides of mushrooms.
In Arisarum proboscideum they help protect the plant from attack by funguseating insects.
They are absent in some species of arum lilies that are pollinated by fungus gnats.
Arcangeli found evidence that their absence in some species of arum lilies correlated with the absence of fungus gnats in those species' habitats.
Which of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage?
Arcangeli was correct in hypothesizing that fungus gnats pollinate Arisarum proboscideum, even though his hypothesis was based on flawed data.
Arisarum proboscideum, and a number of other species of plants, rely on similarities to fungi to attract pollinators.
Arcangeli correctly identified the species of insect that pollinates fungus-mimic O plants such as Arisarum proboscideum but did not understand the means by which it does so.
Some types of gnats that lay their eggs on fungi spend part of their lives on fungus-mimic plants such as Arisarum proboscideum.
Some types of gnats reproduce on plants, such as Arisarum proboscideum, that mimic fungi.
The passage most strongly supports the inference that the relationship between fungus gnats and Arisarum proboscideum is
harmful to both of the species
beneficial to both of the species
beneficial to the gnat species but harmful to Arisarum proboscideum
beneficial to the gnat species but neither harmful nor beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum
beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum but not to the gnat species
Of the fungus-like features listed in the final sentence, the passage explicitly discusses which of the following as features of Arisarum proboscideum?
Odor and humidity
Odor and texture
Odor and shape
Color and texture
Color and humidity
A small flying insect, coming up from the forest floor and entering the chamber through the window, is immediately confronted by the flower cluster's appendix—a structure that extends into the bent part, well above the flowers that make up the cluster. In this case the appendix is not hard and smooth as it is in many arum lilies but spongy and full of little depressions. It is also off-white in color so that the overall visual impression it gives is deceptively like that of the underside of the cap of a Boletus mushroom. Arcangeli claimed that the plant's pollinators were fungus gnats—insects that normally breed in decaying mushrooms. The mousetail plant fools them so successfully that the females deposit their eggs—which will not be able to survive—on the appendix. Before the gnats can find their way out of the chamber, they also accidentally contact the flowers, transferring pollen.
Fungus mimicry turns out to be a fairly widespread pollination strategy. Most of the fungus mimics are forest dwellers, which remain close to the ground and produce dark purple or brown flowers with pale or translucent patterns. To the human nose at least they are either scentless or musky in odor. Usually the flowers are simple urn- or kettleshaped traps containing structures that closely resemble the gills or pores of mushrooms. Another element in their fungus mimicry is their exudation of moisture during the period when the flower is active. Fungus gnats of both sexes are involved in the pollination and are misled by a combination of fungus-like features—odor, color, shape, texture, and humidity.
The passage most strongly supports which of the following inferences about flower- cluster appendixes?
Arcangeli did not hypothesize that they might play a role in attracting fungus gnats to Arisarum proboscideum.
In some species of arum lilies, their texture does not mimic that of the undersides of mushrooms.
In Arisarum proboscideum they help protect the plant from attack by funguseating insects.
They are absent in some species of arum lilies that are pollinated by fungus gnats.
Arcangeli found evidence that their absence in some species of arum lilies correlated with the absence of fungus gnats in those species' habitats.
Which of the following most accurately expresses the main idea of the passage?
Arcangeli was correct in hypothesizing that fungus gnats pollinate Arisarum proboscideum, even though his hypothesis was based on flawed data.
Arisarum proboscideum, and a number of other species of plants, rely on similarities to fungi to attract pollinators.
Arcangeli correctly identified the species of insect that pollinates fungus-mimic O plants such as Arisarum proboscideum but did not understand the means by which it does so.
Some types of gnats that lay their eggs on fungi spend part of their lives on fungus-mimic plants such as Arisarum proboscideum.
Some types of gnats reproduce on plants, such as Arisarum proboscideum, that mimic fungi.
The passage most strongly supports the inference that the relationship between fungus gnats and Arisarum proboscideum is
harmful to both of the species
beneficial to both of the species
beneficial to the gnat species but harmful to Arisarum proboscideum
beneficial to the gnat species but neither harmful nor beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum
beneficial to Arisarum proboscideum but not to the gnat species
Of the fungus-like features listed in the final sentence, the passage explicitly discusses which of the following as features of Arisarum proboscideum?
Odor and humidity
Odor and texture
Odor and shape
Color and texture
Color and humidity
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