ajaym28 wrote:
Some flowering plant species, entirely dependent on bees for pollination, lure their pollinators with abundant nectar and pollen, which are the only source of food for bees. Often the pollinating species is so highly adapted that it can feed from—and thus pollinate—only a single species of plant. Similarly, some plant species have evolved flowers that only a single species of bee can pollinate—an arrangement that places the plant species at great risk of extinction. If careless applications of pesticides destroy the pollinating bee species, the plant species itself can no longer reproduce.
The information above, if true, most strongly supports which one of the following?
(A) The earliest species of flowering plants appeared on Earth contemporaneously with the earliest bee species.
(B) If the sole pollinator of a certain plant species is in no danger of extinction, the plant species it pollinates is also unlikely to become extinct.
(C) Some bees are able to gather pollen and nectar from any species of plant.
(D) The blossoms of most species of flowering plants attract some species of bees and do not attract others.
(E) The total destruction of the habitat of some plant species could cause some bee species to become extinct.
Can someone help me to understand the reasoning behind this..
The information provided most strongly supports option (E) - The total destruction of the habitat of some plant species could cause some bee species to become extinct.
According to the information given, there is a close and mutual dependence between certain flowering plant species and their pollinators, which in this case are bees. The plants rely on bees for pollination, and in turn, bees rely on the plants for their food source. The relationship between the plant species and the bee species is highly specific, with some plant species depending on a single species of bee for pollination.
If the habitat of these plant species is destroyed, it would result in the loss of the plant species itself. Since the bees rely exclusively on these plant species for their food source, the destruction of the plants would also lead to the loss of the specific bee species that depends on them. Therefore, the extinction of plant species could cause the extinction of the bee species that are closely associated with them.
The other options are not directly supported by the given information. Option (A) talks about the timing of the appearance of flowering plants and bees, which is not discussed in the passage. Option (B) assumes that if the sole pollinator is not in danger, the plant species is also safe, which is not necessarily true. Option (C) suggests that bees can gather pollen and nectar from any plant species, which contradicts the notion of highly specific plant-pollinator relationships. Option (D) states that most species of flowering plants attract some bees and not others, but the passage does not provide information about the relative attractiveness of different plant species to bees